Fight Me
by scarlet tribe
Summary: It's summer in Virginia and three friends are sleeping peacefully until they hear intruders. You know who these intruders are. These three friends have to figure out what to do, and the Akatsuki have to figure out how to survive the girls and their antics. But above all, they must NOT get attached. Easier said then done. Previously Kiss My A**
1. Break and Enter

She could hear someone in the hall, and was pulled out of whatever sleep she was getting.

THUD! CRASH!

Her eyes opened lazily. She vaguely wondered what would be replaced this time.

"Damnit, Hidan." A voice mumbled.

"Hey, fuck you!" The man named hidan bit back. "I didn't fucking do it on purpose." By now she was sitting up in her bed, staring at her door. She pulled her big head phones off her neck and held her breath. Maybe they would pass her room.

"Shit." She mumbled and rolled off the bed, dating to the other side and grabbing some sweatpants and trying to pull them on. "Fuck." She shouted as she fell backwards. She had barely been able to pull them all the way up, but they were up and she was grateful. If she was facing intruders, she was wearing pants. She looked above her and saw a silver headed man grinning down at her wolfishly.

"You hear there are intruders and your priority is fucking pants?" He laughed. She scowled and snapped her leg up and back, kicking him in the face, catching him off guard. He yelled and started to move backwards, but she rolled and grabbed his ankles, pulling him and making him fall with a loud thud. She was up and running to the door when the second man grabbed her and picked her up. Her feet swung out wildly.

"Ack!" She hacked. "Let me go!" She whispered as she struggled. The man put his hand over her mouth and dragged her downstairs. She was afraid. sHe needed to warn her roommates. She kicked the wall as she was dragged down the hall and to the steps. Once downstairs, she was released and tossed onto the couch. She looked around and found there were several people in her house. Her jaw dropped.

"What?" a blonde haired man asked defensilvely. "You've been looking at us like that for ten minutes, yeah." She pointed at them all and just gapped.

"Jo!" Another woman's voice hissed and everyone turned to see a burnette between Kisame and itachi. "We're being robbed by cosplayers." She told her with tears in her eyes. Jo scowled at her.

"You don't think I know that?" She hissed at her friend but rolled her eyes when she sniffed at her. Kisame released the burnette who made a beeline for her friend named Jo. The small woman nearly tackled Jo, clinging to her for dear life. "What do you people want?" Jo asked, glaring at the intruders.

"Where are we?" The one who looked like Pein asked. Jo scowled further.

"You're in fucking Virginia, where else do you think you are?" She hissed.

"Virginia?" The Kisame person asked and turned to his partner. "What country is that in? I've never heard of it."

"The fucking U.S.A. shit for brains." She told him. Then something clicked. "Oh, I get it, you guys are still in character. Nock it off. Just take what you want and leave us alone." Hidan leered at her and stuck his face close to hers.

"What if we fucking want you two." He leered. She glared at him.

"Fucking try it." She challenged.

"Hidan." The pein one called. Hidan looked at him and stepped back.

"We are not acting." He said. "My name is Pein. We are n organization-" Jo cut him off.

"Called the Akatsuki, yeah, no shit." She said and rolled her eyes. Everyone around her looked shocked. She shook her head. "Just stop playing stupid and take shit already."

"We aren't playing stupid." The konan one said, stepping forward. "We've been transported to an unfamiliar place. How can we prove to you that we are not lying?" She asked sincerely. Jo looked at her and thought. She was about to say something when they heard a door creak open. Jo's face paled and the smaller girl whimpered.

"Oh god." Jo mumbled. Kisame made to move towards the stairs but Jo called to him. "Don't move." She whispered. He looked at her confused and they heard shuffling from upstairs. Itachi quirked and eyebrow at the two cowering women. They heard feet padding down the steps softly. All eyes turned on the girl who was practically shuffling. She almost made it to the last couple of steps before she stopped and stared at the group.

The girl had teal hair pulled up into a messy bun and wore a soft lavender shirt that hung off one shoulder and reached her thighs. She stared at each person in the room and they were all silent for about two seconds.

"Nope." She said and turned around before heading up the steps again. Everyone watched her go and Jo snapped her head to a giggling Deidara.

"She could have killed us all." She hissed at him. Hidan snorted.

"Even though we are all murderers?" Pein asked, quirking an eyebrow, "you believe she could defeat us all." The smaller woman nodded vigorously. Pein closed his eyes and sighed. "How can we prove to you we are not lying?" Jo was about to say something but was caught off guard again when the door upstairs slammed open.

"Hold the fuck up!" The woman upstairs shouted and they could hear her storming down the steps. "I fucking tell you no more strangers and you got a fucking gang of them?" The teal haired woman shouted as she stomped down the steps. "The fuck are y'all doing at four in the goddman morning? A fucking orgy?" She shouted as she reached the last floor. Some of the Akatsuki memebers choked while others just stared at her. She glared at them and pointed at them. "Get the fuck out of the house. GO home, I got class tomorrow."

"Lily, they can't leave." Jo told her.

"Oh for fuck's sake." Lily mumbled angrily and smacked her face. "Please don't tell me you fucking totaled my car again." Jo shook her head. Lily looked at her, getting angrier. "You're all wanted for arrest again aren't you."

"Well," Jo started but Lily looked about ready to blow a gasket so she shut up.

"Lily, they're the akastuki." The shorter girl pointed out. Lily was about to bitch at her but the woman spoke up again. "No, really. The real deal." She turned to Hidan. "Do the thing."

"What the fuck are you talking about." Hidan bit at her.

"Cut your head off."

"Hanna!" Lily shouted.

"Do it so she'll shut up and believe you guys." Jo encouraged. Hidan shrugged and pulled out a knife but before he could do anything, Kakuzu shot out a tentacle thing and decapitated Hidan, pissing him off. Lily stood there, traumatized.

"Lily?" Jo asked. Hidan's head rolled and faced Lily.

"fucking happy, bitch?" He shouted. Lily teared up and dropped to the ground. This was such a sudden change of character it startled several people. Hanna stood up.

"Lily, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Why me?" Lily mumbled into her hands. "Why me? I have an exam in four hours and I have the mother fucking Atastuki in my house. Why? Why did you wake me up? Why me?" She whimpered. Jo laughed quietly at her friend and stood. She let Hanna console Lily and looked to Pein.

"You guys look tired." She said. " Why don't we get you guys some food and rest. We can talk seriously later. Nothing you guys can do right now."


	2. it died

The Akatsuki sat around the living room, sipping on water, tea, and coffee while Jo talked to them. She had her laptop out and was showing them where they were. Hanna was cooking breakfast for them and Lily had gone back upstairs, aiming to get a few more hours of sleep.

"So, you guys can stay with us for a while," Jo said, "but this is my house and it has rules. If you are going to stay here, there is to be no killing of anykind, for any reason. Am I understood?" She asked, meeting every individual's gaze. "Next, as far as jutsu, keep it to a minimum. It's not normal here so don't do it outside. No bombs, and if you break something, Kakuzu pays for it."

"What?" He hissed. Jo stuck her tongue out. "Now you have incentive to keep everyone in line." He just stared at her. tHat was actually pretty smart. "No theft either. And you guys have to pitch in. If you know how to cook, you can offer to cook. You can help keep the place clean. If you make a mes clean it up. Don't eat all the food in one go either. This shit isn't cheap." She mumbled and they listened. After she was through with the rules she looked at them. "Any objections?" She asked.

"We accept your terms." Pein told her formally. She nodded and leaned back on the couch. Now was the rooming. She was squished between Deidara and Kisame on the small couch but didn't mind. Her house was big. It was old, but large enough to fit these people here semi-comfortably. There were three stories, not including the basement. The third was the attic. One half was where her room used to be before her family moved out. Now it held Christmas decorations. The other half held more storage that could be moved to the basement quick enough. The stairs divided the two rooms. On the second floor, there were four fairly large rooms. There was also a bathroom. One was a guest room while the girls took over the other three. How was she going to do this? Did she have enough matresses?

Then the boys would need clothes. Lily had class, and she had work. Maybe Hanna could take a small group shopping, but that meant people would be left home alone. Not a good idea. What sizes did they even wear? What did they like to wear? She leaned her head back against the couch.

"Hanna?" She called. Jo heard a soft yeah from the kitchen in response. "You go work today?"

"No, why?" Hanna called and they watched her come into view.

"They're going to need clothes." Jo said and pointed around the room. Hanna shrugged.

"Can't Lily deal with it?" She asked.

"Kinda was hoping both of you could do it when she got back from class." Jo pointed out. Hanna shrugged and went back to the kitchen. "So we have some room on the third floor and then a guest bedroom on the second floor. If you guys wanted we could hang some sheets to make small rooms in the attic." Jo started rambling. "We'd have to do it later though. It's too fucking early for that shit." Deidara and Kisame just looked at her. She met their dead looks with a glare. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you guys violently awakened by a group of murderers at a ridiculous hour in the morning?" They didn't answer her. Jo stood and straightened out her tee shirt and brushed her fuzzy blue pants. "Didn't think so. Excuse me. I need coffee."

"Food is ready!" Hanna called. Jo looked at everyone and waved them to join her. "Grab a plate, and take what you want." The akatsuki followed her into the kitchen. It was a fairly large and they saw the stack of plates waiting for them. They watched Jo grab a plate and start getting food. They followed suit.

"I wasn't sure what you guys liked, so I just made a bunch of stuff." Hanna said as she sipped her coffee.

"We won't complain." Kisame told her with a smile. "Just glad to be fed." They heard hidan snort.

"Speak for yourself." He said as he picked up bacon. "The fuck is this?" He asked.

"It's bacon." Jo told him. "It's meat. Eat it, or eat something else." She told him. Hidan glared at Jo and she glared right back.

"I'm not gonna fucking eat this shit." He told her. She stood on her tip toes and grabbed the bacon with her mouth and walked away, shrugging. His loss.

"Jo, don't eat people's food." Hanna told her. Jo just shrugged and looked at her friend.

"He wasn't gonna eat it."

"Where would you like us to sit?" Konan asked Jo, holding her plate of food.

"There's a dinning room we cold all sit in." Jo said. "Not sure if everyone would fit at the table, but we could just through Hidan outside like the dog he is."

"What the fuck's your problem, bitch?" Hidan shouted, whipping around. Jo spun on her heal.

"I'M FUCKING TIRED!" She shouted at him.

"And whose problem is that, bitch?" Hidan shouted at her. Jo grabbed a knife from the counter and pointed it at him as she walked towards him.

"It's gonna be yours if you don't shut your mouth and eat." She threatened.

"Is she always this volatile?" Deidara asked as he stepped next to hanna. She just shrugged. The two watched Jo and Hidan argue. Deidara took a bite of bacon. "Woah. This is amazing."

"Everyone likes bacon. It's a staple." Hanna said with a smirk. "I'll be you a pack of bacon that Jo beats Hidan's ass before the day's out."

"You're on, yeah." He said and munch on the bacon. He looked at Jo. She was a short woman with straight brown hair and hazel eyes. She was very tan and curvy. Jo was so short, though, and Deidara figured there was no way she could take on hidan.

Hanna showed those who wanted to sit at a table where the dining room was and made sure everyone had everything they needed.

"What are you gonna eat?" Kisame asked Itatchi as they looked at the food before them. Itatchi grabbed fruit and eggs first.

"Hey, where'd you get that body from, where'd you get that body from?" They heard someone singing and turned, confused. It was Lily. She walked into the kitchen, eyes closed, with her earbuds in and was singing. She dropped her voice. "I got it from my daddy, I got it from my daddy." She sang and bounce on her feet. She opened her eyes and grabbed a piece of toast and a cup of coffee. Itatchi and Kisame looked at her. She was taller than Hanna and Jo and lanky, but you could see the muscles on her arms and exposed stomach. She wore a grey crop top and her hair was in a ponytail.

"Lily, stop signing that song." Jo told her. Lily pretended not to hear and hummed loudly as she munched on her toast, glaring right at Jo. "Lily, stop."

"Hey, where'd you get that body fro-" Lily was silenced when a roll of paper towels hit her face. "Wow, fuck you, too."

"Shut up and go take your exam." Jo told her. Lily just turned to her ipod and picked another song.

"Give it to me I'm worth it." She sang and Jo groaned loudly and threw her hands in the air. "Now tell her bring it back like she loves some." She sang and danced a bit as she grabbed more food.

"Fuck it, I need a shower." Jo grumbled and left, heading upstairs.

"Uh hu see me in the spot like ooh I love your style." Lily kept singing and smiled at Hanna as she came in. She wrapped up her food in a paper towel and began walking out. She rubbed Hanna's head in thanks before singing her way out of the house.

"She's so fucking weird." Hidan said after Lily left. Hanna laughed.

"She's just stressed." Hanna dismissed.

"What's she worried about?" Kisame asked.

"She's taking a really tough math course, and she sucks at math in the first place. This is the second time she's taking it." Hanna explained.

"She stupid or something?" Hidan asked.

"No, not at all." Hanna a=said, shaking her head. "She just sucks at math. Never got a good foundation for it."

"I don't understand your schooling at all, yeah." Deidara said, scratching his head. "It doesn't make sense, un." Hanna just laughed until she was almost tackled by Tobi.

"Hanna's laugh is so cute!" He squealed as he hugged her around the neck. "Tobi, loves Hanna's laugh! Hanna's a good girl like Tobi's a good boy! Hanna and Tobi are going to be best friends.!" He went on and on and on while Hanna's face started to turn blue.

"Tobi, let her go, yeah." DEidara told him. "She's turning blue." Tobi released her, gasping and apologizing for almost strangling her. Deidara just grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tossed him in to the other room. "You ok, un?" He asked. She nodded and tried to breathe again. She rested her hands on her knees and breathed. Deidara laughed.

"We apologize for his behavior." Sasori told her. She shook her hand at him.

"No worries." She wheezed. Eventually she caught her breath and straightened up. She grabbed her own plate. "I'm gonna go eat in the living room. You guys can join me if you want." She said with a smile, addressing those still in the room. It was Itatchi, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, and Pein. Everyone else was in the dinning room, right across the hall from the living room. She would still be able to keep and eye on them.

They followed her to the living room and watched her sit on the couch and grab something. She pressed a button and the tv came on. They all found places to sit and began eating.

"You guys mind if I watch the weather channel?" She asked.

"What?" Deidara asked. Hanna shook her head.

"Nevermind." She said and lfipped it to the weather channel. The man on the screen was talking about how hot it was and how a storm would be hitting them by the end of the next week. Then it would be even hotter. Hanna groaned at the report. "God, it's so gross out now as it is." Then the man started talking about a storm system in the Atlantic. "This is what I needed to hear." She said and turned up the volume. She started munching on her food.

"Why do you need to know about a storm?" Sasori asked her from his seat on the couch next to her, his plate in his lap.

"For work, now shush." She told him. They sat in silence, watching the television. Before long, Jo came back downstairs. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun and she wore grey slacks and a solid black top and flats. "You're going to be hot." Hanna told her without looking.

"I'll be inside." Jo said as she started texting someone on her phone. God, that was such a long conversation with their guests. "Why are you watching the weather channel?" She asked, sounding bored.

"Possible hurricane in the atlantic." She reported. Jo stopped typing on her phone and looked at her friend. Pein, sasori, and Itatchi noticed the concerned look from Jo.

"Is it going to hit us?" She asked. Hanna shrugged.

"It's still off the coast of Africa, so it's a bit too early to tell." Hanna explained.

"What's a hurricane?" Kisame asked. "It's like a typhoon, right? What's the big deal if it hits us?"

"Hanna, you're going to have to answer that, I'm already late." Jo told her as she grabbed a brief case and walked out.

"Have fun at work." Hanna called as she grabbed her laptop. She opened it and started looking for something. "I don't know if you guys are used to the kind of damage hurricane's cause, but remember, this is a different place. The people here aren't like you guys. We don't get special powers, we can't do amazing physical tricks you guys can." She paused and turned her laptop around. "This is hurricane Katrina. It was one of the worst hurricanes in this country." She explained and started to show them more pictures.

"Damn." Kisame muttered. "And one of those is gonna hit us?"

"Don't know yet." She explained and pointed at the tv. "The weather channel is keeping an eye on it and will update us. Plus, I get alerts on my phone."

"You seem to know much about these storms." Itatchi commented. Hanna smiled.

"It's my job." She said proudly. "I work for a restoration company. We clean up after these storms, or after small storms. It depends on what hits."

"Did you clean up after this one, yeah?" Deidara asked, pointing to the screen. She shook her head.

"This happened when I was a kid." She explained. "There was another one I did help clean up. It was called Sandy. It hit a state called New York the hardest I think." She pulle dup pictures of it and started showing them more pictures.

"Holy shit." Kisame said as they looked. She wondered if they were more impressed at the pictures from space.

"Enough depressing things." Hanna waved her hand as she spun it around and started looking for funny videos. "I'm going to show you guys funny videos now." She said with a smile. And that's what she did. She started showing them videos on yutube, and videos called vines. Before long, she had Kisame and Deidara on one side of her, and on the other sat Konan and Tobi. Hidan stood behind them, watching. They were all laughing, though Konan gave more smiles and light chuckles every now and then. Then Hanna decided to show them some jump scares. The first one she showed, she didn't give any warning.

They watched as a car started driving down a senic road. They were confused and Hidan spoke up.

"The fuck is this?" He asked. "This isn't-" He was cut off my something on the screen screaming and Kisame and Deidara jumped and Deidara screamed and Hidan shouted and fell back while Tobi jumped, screaming and fell off the couch. Konan jumped but remained fairly still. Hanna was laughing her ass off.

"Oh my god." She wheezed. "You should have seen your faces." She laughed as tears formed in her eyes.

"What are you guys screaming about?" Sasori asked as he wlaked back into the room.

"Where have you been?" Hanna asked and he lifted up his mug. He had gotten more coffee. Now that she looked at him, she could see the bags under his eyes.

"I guess we should start cleaning up the attick." She said and closed her laptop and stood. Hanna was startled when the front door opened and an exhausted Lily came in. "How'd it go?" She asked. Lily just looked at her and shook her head.

"Why do you look like someone died?" Kisame asked her.

"Because someone did." She answered sadly. "My GPA." Kisame was about to aske what that was but hanna shook her head and walked over to lily, hugging her.

"You'll bring it up." She offered and lily hugged her back before releasing her. "But now, you and I get to take these dorks to the mall." She exclaimed excitedly. Lily just looked at her in horror.


	3. drunk pool

"We're supposed to get inside that thing?" Kisame asked, pointing at the cars. One was a chevy trailblazer and the other was a small ford pick up. Lily and Hanna looked at each other.

"Yeah." Hanna told them. "Don't worry. They're safe as long as you know what you're doing and Jo isn't driving."

"How do we know you two know what you're doing?" Pein asked and Lily snorted.

"We've been driving for years." She told him. "Now shut up and get in." She said and opened the door to the trail blazer. Tobi hopped in first, bouncing in his seat. The rest hesitantly climbed in. Only six could fit in there, not including the driver.

"Lily, you're gonna have to drive Itatchi, Kisame, and Zetsu." Hanna said.

"What about Hidan?"

"Yeah, what about me, bitch?" He shouted. Hanna smiled at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the back. She opened the trunk. "Fuck that. I'll stay."

"No, get in the trunk." Lily ordered. Hidan looked at her, glaring.

"Fucking make me bitch." He challeneged. Lily walked over and started shoving him. He struggled back and Hanna stepped in to help.

"Get in the fucking trunk." Lily grunted and shoved.

"Fuck that! No!" Hidan hollered. Lily and Hanna kept shoving him.

"Kisame, come help us!" Hanna laughed and waved him over. Kisame laughed and walked over.

"Fuck you, fish face!" Hidan shouted as Kisame grabbed his legs, lifting him up, letting the girls push him in. He struggled and swore and Kakuzu let out a bunch of tentacles and helped pull him in. Lily slammed the trunk shut with Hidan inside. Hanna jumped and whooped and held a hand up to Kisame. He laughed and high fived her. Hanna climbed into the car and hey could hear Hidan pitching a fit. She shut the door and started the car.

"You guys are luck you're riding with me." Lily told them.

"Why do you say that?" Itatchi asked. Lily just smirked and pointed at the trailblazer. They watched as it peeled out of the drive way and flew down the street. "Hn." Lily spun on her heel and climbed into the truck and started it. It roared to life and she leaned out the window, looking at her guests with raised eyebrows. It was time to go. They each climbed in and Lily showed them how to buckle up. Then she turned the music up and started to drive.

Lily was humming along with the music as her guests sat in silence. Zetsu and Itatchi didn't mind it, but Kisame had questions. So he decided to ask.

"What's on your arm?" He asked, pointing to the tattoo.

"It's a penrose triangle." She answered. It was on the inside of her forearm. "It's a paradox." And that's all she said.

"Do you have anymore tattoos?" He asked, trying to keep a conversation going. She nodded and hummed. "What are they?" He asked. Lily sighed and turned down the music.

"You have a lot of questions." She pointed out.

"Wouldn't you?" Itatchi asked from his seat in the back. Lily looked at him in the mirror. She shrugged.

"What do you want to know?" She asked.

"This is weird music." Deidara mumbled as Hanna kept singing. She said it was by someone named Kesha. Tobi begged to differ as he bounced in his seat and tried to sing along with Hanna. And Hidan sat in the trunk, banging his head against the wall.

"Are we almost there?" Kakuzu asked.

"Yep." Hanna told him. "It's this exit right here." She said and yanked the wheel. The trail blazer swerved and cut across to the exit, startingling the passangers. Several were hanging onto the wall or each other. Hanna laughed maniacly at their misfortune and sped along. She whipped into a parking lot and found a spot. She parked and pulled out her phone. She put it up to her ear.

"What is that?" Itatchi asked when her pocket started to sing.

"look at that booty, show me the booty, gimme that booty, I want the booty." Her pocket sang and she groaned.

"Hanna got my phone again." She said and pulled it out and handed it to kisame. "Press the green button." He did as he was told. "Now press the speakerphone symbol." He did and they could hear Hidan swearing in the background.

 _Hidan, shut up!"_ They hear Hanna shout.

"Hanna, when the fuck did you touch my phone?" Lily asked.

"don't remember. But we're here now. Are you almost here?" Hanna asked. Lily hummed. "What?"

"Yeah. We're almost there."

"Ok. I got to go. Hidan's stuck in the trunk." Lily snorted and said goodbye before telling Kisame how to end the call. When they found Hanna and the group, she parked as close as possible and hanna ran over to them, pulling deidara and Tobi by the hand. She dropped their hands and started pushing Lily. "Let's go, let's go!"

"I don't know hwy you're so excited." Lily said.

"It's going to be fun to be out of the house!" She exclaimed. Lily felt otherwise.

"Where is everyone?" Jo asked herself when she entered a dark house. The sun was setting but no one was at the house. SHouldn't they be back by now? She shrugged and tossed her briefcase by the table at the front door. Then she kicked off her shoes and padded over to the kitchen. She was going to relax before they all got back. She grabbed a bottle of red wine. She was on her second glass when they all came home.

"Jo!" Hanna shouted as she bounced into the house, holding grocery bags. "We brought food!" She shouted and tossed a box of cheese its at Jo. She caught them and held them close to her chest with one hand and sipped her wine with the other. "You guys can go toss your stuff in the attic." Hanna suggested. "Follow me!" Those who were carrying bags of clothes followed her. The rest followed Lily into the kitchen to put groceries away. Jo sat and broke into the cheez-its.

Before long, everything was put away and Hanna was cooking dinner. The akatsuki were in various locations throughout the house. Some were upstairs, trying to get a sleeping place set up, some were in the kitchen, and some were in the living room, watching the television with Jo. Lily came out of the kitchen with the bottle of red wine. She lifted up Jo's legs and sat, resting them on her lap. She pulled off the cork and started to drink it straight from the bottle.

"don't waist my good wine." Jo mumbled at her.

"It's not a waist if I enjoy it." Lily mumbled at her. Itatchi sat on the couch next to lily and Sasori was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch. Pein was sitting in one of the chairs while Konan leaned against his legs, the two were watching the tv. Zetsu stood in a corner. "You know you can sit, right?" Lily asked him.

"Don't bother, I've tried." Jo told her and sipped her glass. A crashing sound came from the kitchen and some swearing from Hanna, but the two women ignored it. That was fairly usual. "Bad day?"

"You don't even know the half of it." Lily mumbled and sipped more from the bottle before turning to Itatchi. "You guys were terrible in the store. I can't take you people anywhere." She said and drank more. Itatchi looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"We weren't that bad." Konan said softly from the seat. "Hanna was the one who instigated the fight."

"I mean Hidan being loud and swearing, Sasori and Deidara arguing over art, and people being uncooperative in getting new clothes." Lily pointed out. Konan nodded at her. She did have a point.

"I want pizza." Jo said and looked at Lily. "Hanna! Can we get pizza?" Jo called and hanna appeared in the doorway.

"That's probably a good idea." Hanna told them. Lily sniffed the air that had wafted in with hanna.

"Is something burning?" She asked. "It smells like hair." Hanna looked at them sheepishly.

"Well, you're not wrong." She told them. "Deidara caught his hair on fire and Hidan knocked over the pot." Lily looked at her and took a long sip of wine. Jo just blinked and pulled out her phone. She took another sip as she dialed the number. Hanna had retreated into the kitchen again. Lily drank more wine and Jo ordered pizza. While Jo was ordering, she looked at the guests. Some had changed already. Pein had changed into a black button up shirt and rolled up his sleeves and wore jeans. Sasori only changed his shirt, wearing a plain white tee shirt. Someone had dropped food on his shirt during lunch.

Deidara. Deidara dropped food on his shirt.

Konan had on a blue shirt and black shorts. It was still hot outside so she wanted to wear shorts. The weather in this world is very different from theirs and she wasn't used to it yet. Lily turned and looked at Itatchi. He put on dark grey sweat pants.

"Pizza should be here soon." Jo said and tossed her phone onto the table, next to the cheeseits.

"Hidan, no!" they herd Hanna yell and a loud crashing sound came next.

"Wonder what they're doing." Lily said as she sipped from the bottle more. Jo grit her teeth and took another sip of wine. They were too loud.

"Damnit, Hidan." Deidara's voice came. "You're no help."

"The fuck do I look like? Some maid? Fuck this bullshit!" He shouted and they heard a rag get tossed down.

"you made this mess, help us clean it!" Hanna shouted.

"Fuck that." Hidan yelled. Jo knocked back what was left of her glass and set it down on the table and stood. She quietly walked into the kitchen and Lily sipped more of the wine. She could feel it starting to hit.

"Hey, Pein." She called to him. He looked to her. "On a scale of one to ten, how sad would you be if you went back without Hidan?" She asked. They stared at each other and then went back to looking at the kitchen doorway. They heard someone get smacked once, then again.

"What the fuck was that for?" Hidan shouted and they heard the back door open up. They could hear him get quieter and then there was nothing. They sat in silence, listening for any clues as to what was going on.

Without warning, Hanna bolted into the room and grabbed lily by the arms and began pulling her, wanting her to get up.

"Lily, lily, you gotta come see this!" She said excitedly. Lily let her pull her into the kitchen and the two women peered out the door. They saw Jo slamming his head on the pavement before standing and using her foot to roll him into the pool. Jo stood there, watching him flounder in his new jeans and white v-neck shirt.

"Oh my god." Lily said quietly.

"I know right?" Hanna squeeled and Lily grinned.

"What are you two doing?" Deidara asked, coming into the kitchen. Lily and Hanna just gave each other sly smirks.

"I ship it." Lily told Hanna, earning a huge grin. Hanna stood up straight and jumped around.

"What?" Deidara asked, confused. Hanna just waved her hand at him.

"Don't worry." She told him. "It's an internet thing."

Jo stood at the edge of the pool, watching as Hidan got his footing. He glared at her and she glared back. She crossed her arms and stared down at him as he got closer the edge.

"You gonna help clean now?" She asked. Hidan gulped water and spit it at her, smirking. It splashed on her pants. "Ugh! You son of a bitch!" She brought up her foot and went to slam it in his face, but he grabbed her ankle and reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the pool with a maniacal laugh.

"Oh my god." Hanna bounced at the door while Lily opened another bottle of wine. It was a struggle, but she got it open. "SO freaking cute!"

"What are you guys doing?" Kisame asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"They're watching Hidan and Jo fight in the pool." Deidara explained. Kisame's face brightened up.

"You guys have a pool?" He asked and hanna nodded and Lily drank from the new bottle. She had begun to sway.

"You guys can use it if you want." Lily explained as she opened the door. "I know I am." She said and drank more.

"You don't have your swimsuit!" Hanna called out.

"Kiss my ass!" Lily called back and set the bottle on the ground before lifting up her shirt. She was wearing a yellow sports bra. She slid off her shorts to reveal black compression shorts. Then she took another swig and took off running towards the pool before flinging herself in, startling Jo.

"Did she just strip?" Deidara asked and Hanna laughed before going to the living room.

"Some of us are gonna go swimming. Feel free to join us, but if not, let us know when the pizza uy gets here." She told them. Pein and Sasori nodded, not wanting to go swimming. Konan stood and followed Hannah outside, as did Itatchi. He wanted to stick his feet in the pool.

"So how's the upstairs look?" Hanna asked Deidara.

"I swear to god, I'll fucking drown you!" Jo screamed at Hidan and wrapped her arms around his neck and forced him under water. Hanna laughed from the edge of the pool where she stood. She screeched when Kisame came up behind her and tackled her into the pool, laughing the entire time. Konan watched everyone goofing off, splashing around, swimming, enjoying themselves. Maybe they all needed this. They should tret it like a vacation. It was nice to be able to relax every now and then. Konan spied a lawn chair and sat down in it, watching everyone.

Itatchi was sitting at the edge of the pool with his sweatpants pulled up to stay dry. He watched his comrades and their hosts. Kisame and Hanna had teamed up to dunk Hidan and Jo. Deidarawas relaxing and watching them fight. Lily was swimming around in the deep end, not too far from Itatchi. He could see her teal hair under the water. It contrasted well with the yellow she wore. She surfaced for air with a small smile, and he could see her cheeks had been tinted red. She was inebriated. She spied him and slipped back under water and swam over to him. She resurfaced and smiled at him before resting on the edge next to him. She pointed past him.

"Can you hand me that?" She asked and rested her head on the edge. Itatchi turned and saw the bottle. She reached her arm out but couldn't reach. Itatchi put it in her hand and she straightened up before drinking it again. Itachi looked up at the sky and saw the sun had set. There was a light on near the door, so they could still see. "We've all done things we regret." Itatchi snapped his head to her. She rested her cheek on her hand and grinned up at him softly. "He'll forgive you. And if not, he doesn't deserve your love."

"What are you talking about?" Itatchi asked, schooling his face. She lay her head back down on the concrete and started playing with the bottle.

"You know who." She told him. "You did what you thought was needed. Mistake, or not, you were trying to do the right thing. Sometimes trying to do the right thing makes everything worse. And that's ok." Itatchi just stared at her. How could she possibly know all of this? She rolled her head and let it rest against his leg. "You are good. You might not be a saint, but you are good." She said quietly and closed her eyes. Itatchi took the bottle from her and moved it away. She didn't need any more wine.

"Hey," Zetsu said, coming out back. Everyone turned to him. Well, everyone who could. Lily was sleeping, and Hidan was being held under water. "The pizza is here." He told them. Hanna climbed out of the pool and ran inside. Jo let Hidan up and followed suit.

"food's here." She explained and the guys started following. Itatchi shifted his leg, trying to get Lily up. She didn't move. He frowned and rested his hand on her head, trying to wake her. Konan smiled and wlaked over.

"She asleep?" She asked.

"Hn." Itatchi responded and ruffled her hair. She sighed happily and Itatchi sighed, exasperated. Konana laughed and shook her shoulder.

"Lily, wake up." She urged, "The food's here." Lily slowly opened her eyes and nodded before swimming away to the steps. She tumbled out of the pool and walked inside. Itatchi stood and grabbed her bottle of wine.

"Thank you." He said to konan. She smiled and nodded at him.

"She's pretty, Itatchi." Konan pointed out to him. He looked at her blankly and she msiled at him. "I'm sure you've noticed."

"Hn."

Ok, so I'm tornfor hanna. Who does she go with? Kisame or Deidara?!


	4. more drunk weirdness

Jo sat on the floor in dry clothes and a towel around her neck. She wore a loose olive shirt and some shorts. The three boxes of pizza sat on the coffee table and they busted out some paper plates. They all sat around, munching on pizza. Hanna was cross legged on the couch with her plate in her lap, flipping through channels, looking for the weather channel.

"Do we have to watch the weather channel?" Jo asked as she took a bite of her pizza and turned to the group. "Wht do you guys want to watch?" She asked and the akatsuki just looked at each other. They didn't know what the options were.

"Hey, let's watch terrible boss." Hanna suggested.

"We watched that the other day." Jo countered.

"But they haven't."

"What's it about, yeah?" Deidara asked from his seat on the grinned.

"Basically these three guys try to kill their bosses but they don't know how and they don't have the balls. It's hilarious." Hanna explained.

"We could watch paranormal activity." Jo suggested. Hanna looked at her, startled.

"Since when do you want to watch scary movies?" Hanna asked.

"We have a house full of assasins." Jo pointed out. "I like to think they can keep us safe."

"Who the fuck said we'd protect you?" Hidan asked her as he leaned back and fit half a slice in his mouth at once. Jo snapped her eyes to him.

"Do you want to sleep in the dirt tonight?" She threatened. "And don't just shove it in our mouth like that. It's rude." She lectured. Hanna snorted. Jo doesn't give a shit about that, she just hates Hidan. Or so she thinks.

"OH yea? The fuck are you gonna do about it?" Hidan smirked when she said nothing and continued to fit more pizza into his mouth. Jo waited before she spoke, she wanted to make sure he had plenty in his mouth.

"Oh, yeah." She moaned out suddenly, startling many of the people in the room. "Deep throat that like the bitch you are, baby." She said with a straight face. Hidan choked on his pizza as Deidara, Kisame, and Hanna laughed their asses off. Konan hid her laugh behind a hand and Sasori and Kakuzu smirked at each other. Hidan looked at Jo, completely horrified and outraged. He was about to open his mouth to bitch her out but she made the motion to imitate a blow job and hidan flipped out. He stood up suddenly, startling Sasori who sat next to him. He just widened his eyes before going back to eating.

"The fuck is your problem, bitch?" He roared at her.

"You're acting like a slob." Jo told him simpley. "Either that or you really need to suck something." She smirked at him.

"Oh, yeah?" Hidan roared. "I think you're the one wanting to suck something!" He smirked. "How 'bout you suck mine, since you seem so fucking determined!"

"Hidan, no." Hanna groaned and Jo just smirked at him. She leaned on the table and rested her face in her hand.

"Oh, baby, you wish." She told him. Hanna groaned and tossed her head back, frustrated with her friend.

"Oh great, now you got her started." She mumbled. Kisame, who sat next to her, looked at Deidara. The two looked at each other confused.

"What the fuck is your problem, bitch?" Hidan roared at her. She just wouldn't stop smirking.

"I just love seeing you get all worked up." She commented. Hidan roared in frustration before moving forward.

"I'll fucking kill you!" He shouted and ran at her, about to tackle her. Kakuzu tripped him and Jo saw her chance. She grabbed him and rolled them until they were away from the group. She pinned him down and straddled him. "Get the fuck off me!" He shouted at her. He didn't want to force her and hurt her, Pein would burry him out back. She just smirked.

"Oh, but I'm comfy here." She said lowly and started to grin on him. "What's the matter, big boy? Do I make you nervous?"

"Jo! Stahhhhhhp!" Hanna whined and buried her head in her shirt. "I don't want to see my roommate fuck an anime character." She cried. Kisame wrapped and arm around her and patted her arm.

"There, there." He said. "I don't want to see Hidan screw anyone either."

"Should we help him?" Sasori asked.

"Nah. Let him suffer." Kakuzu said, eating his pizza.

"Jo." Lily mumbled after reappearing. Jo and Hidan stopped…what were they doing, arguing? Well, they looked at lily. "If you wanna fuck, go upstairs." She mumbled and rested her foot on Jo's shoulder before kicking her off the jashinist.

"Don't encourage her!" Hanna shouted from the couch. Lily just looked at her.

"Are we going to watch something?" Kakuzu asked, tired of the conversation.

"Yeah, we still have to decide." Hanna said, bouncing in her seat. "I still want terrible bosses." Lily shrugged and pulled it out and turned it on. She then sat near the table and dropped the bag she had brought with her.

"What's that?" Deidara asked her as she pulled out a note book and her text book.

"Math." She told him. "really, really, horrible math."

"Lily, you shouldn't do your homework while you're still buzzed." Jo said as she walked back into the room with a glass of wine. Lily let her head roll to the side and she just smiled before going back to her homework. Jo shook her head and sipped her wine. They all settled in and started watching the movie but they soon got distracted.

Hanna had wanted a drink and went into the kitchen only to scream her head off, scaring the daylights out of many of the people in the living room. Jo had jumped up, as had lily, but lily had ran straight into the table, flipping over it and falling, landing on Kauzu and sasori, who rolled her off them. Jo bolted to the kitchen and screamed as well. They heard a thud. Itachi and Pein reached the room first and stopped.

"Help us." Hannatold them, fear plain in her eyes as she looked at the bugs on the floor. They were camlemack crickets. Jo was sitting on top of the table. Lily pushed past Itachi and saw what the commotion was about. She turned on her heal and walked away.

"Nope. Nope. Nope!" She repeated as she went into the living room.

"They're just crickets, yeah." Deidara laughed and moved towards one to shoo it away but jumped with a yelp when they started to hop towards him. Jo and hanna screamed while Deidara stumbled back. "What the hell, un!" Pein pinched the bridge of his nose and Itachi left to go back to the living room. He found his seat had been taken by Lily.

Lily sat in the chair he had occupied with her legs crossed like a pretzel and her books were in her lap. She wore the lavender nightshirt again and her hair was in a bun. She had grabbed the bottle of wine from earlier again. She was almost done with it, and you could tell. She was swaying in her seat. He decided to sit in fornt of her chair and lean against it. He liked the spot where the chair was, and since that isn't a possibility, the floor in front of it was the next best thing.

He quickly found that maybe it wasn't the best. The moment he leaned back, chills went down his spine as fingers slid through his hair. His eyes went wide, but he sat still.

"So soft." Lily mumbled as she combed her fingers through his hair. She gently pulled out the hair tie and kept running her fingers through his hair. Itachi closed his eyes and sighed. It felt nice, as much as he didn't want to admit. Pein and Konan looked at Itachi and watched. Pein raised an eyebrow at him and konan was smiling. He looked away from them.

Lily started braiding his hair. She grabbed a small section, sectioned it into three smaller parts, and started braiding. Itachi reached behind and moved her hands away. He rested his hands in his lap and she just started braiding his hair again.

"Kill it!" Hanna shrieked as Kisame laughed at the two girls.

"the fuck are you waiting for?" Jo shouted.

"What the fucks make you think I'll kill a stupid bug for ya, bitch?" Hidan laughed at Jo. She grabbed something off the table and launched it at him. He laughed and side stepped and laughed harder when it hit Deidara who was going back to the living room. He fell over in the hall.

Sasori and Kakuzu got tired of the screaming and decided to kill the crickets. It was harder then they thought. They ended up chasing the crickets around the kitchen.

"I can help." Zetsu offered as he came into the room. Everyone looked at him. His leafy thing had been left behind, so he almost looked normal. Zetsu walked into the kitchen and crouched down. The crickets started hopping over to him. He picked them up and carried them outside.

"What the fuck?" Hanna mumbled as she leaned forward and swung her legs off the counter. "Hwo did he do that?"

"He's just good like that." Kisame told her and held out a hand, ready to help her down. She smiled and took it, hopping off the counter. "Now for that drink!" She sang and turned to the cabinet. Jo rolled off the table and walked out. Before she left, she stood next to hidan and he stared at her. Without warning, she punched him in the groin. Hidan was down on the ground and Jo walked out. Kisame was roaring with laughter as she stepped over hidan and deidara.

"Want a drink?" Hanna offered him with a grin. He looked over and saw she had poured two shots of a clear liquid. He took it and drank before cringing.

"What is it?" He asked. "It's strong." Hanna just grinned.

"Everclear."

Itachi grabbed her wrists and tried to move them but she clung to his hair. After a few seconds of struggling, he gave in. Konan chuckled to herself.

"I'm sorry, man." Jo mumbled to him and tipped her glass at him.

"Where's Hidan?" Kakuzu asked.

"Your boyfriend's on the ground grabbing his nuts." Jo said and Sasori choked on his pizza.

"He's what?" Kakuzu groweled. Jo just blinked at them. Was it something she said?

"I punched him." She explained. "He's on the ground." Kakuzu, sasori, Pein and Konan seemed to relax at that. "Where's Tobi?" She asked and they looked around. Where had he gone?

"I think he went to sleep." Konan explained. "He likes to be well rested." She explained.

"Did not expect that." Jo said and she filled up her glass.

"Where is the brat?" Sasori asked.

"I knocked him out by accident." She explained. "Sorry." Sasori just shrugged. "Lily, stop braiding his hair." Jo said and Lily yanked on his hair, making him grunt.

"Leave her be." Itachi mumbled. He didn't want his hair ripped out. Lily hummed happily and kept braiding his hair. Her phone buzzed and she pushed it off the arm of her couch. She was going to ignore it. Jo sat on the couch and looked at the tv.

"When did it end?" She asked. Pein just shrugged. No one had really paid attention, the girls were entertaining enough. She flipped it off and settled on some weird cartoon. "If you guys are tired, you can go to bed if you want. You don't have to stay up just because we do." She explained. Some people nodded at her. "Konan, you can have the guest room, by the way. Since, you're the only girl." Konan smiled at her and nodded in thanks. Sasori stood up to leave. He wanted to go to bed. Being human again was taking a toll on him. Needing to eat and sleep was hard to get used to. "Night, sasori. You need anything, my door is next to….well, you know where it is." He nodded and left. "That goes for all of you." Zetsu nodded and stepped into the wall. Jo guessed he was going to sleep as well.

"I am going to sleep as well." Konan said as she stood. "Thank you for your hospitality." She said. Jo snorted.

"You're going to regret that any day now." Jo teased. Konan glanced at Itachi and then back at Jo, smiling. Jo looked at itachi as well before sharing a smirk with Konan. "Maybe not." Konan nodded and left. She had to go grab her stuff from upstairs and move it to the guest room. There was a small wardrobe but she didn't w'nt to mess with anything that wasn't hers. She set her bag on the chair and began looking for something to wear to bed. Did she buy anything to sleep in? She quickly realized she had no pajamas. She would have to borrow pajamas. She hated having to ask for something else, but she didn't want to ruin the new clothes they bought for her.

Konan walked back down the steps quietly and headed to the kitchen. Jo was too short to borrow clothes from and Lily was too lanky. Hanna was the closest match. She walked down the hall and into the kitchen. She stopped and raised her eyebrows.

Hanna sat on the counter and Kisame was leaning on it next to her. Kisame was laughing as Hanna was cheering something at Deidara who was chugging a bottle of something.

"Chug, chug chug!" Hanna cheered. Deidara coughed and stopped. Hidan laughed and patted him on the back, almost knocking him over.

"Ha! Way to bitch out!" Hidan told him and drank from the bottle as well. "Damn, this shit is strong!"

"I think my insides are on fire, yeah." Deidara groaned as he sat in a chair. Hanna just laughed until she saw Konan. She beamed and tried to hop off the counter, but slipped and hit the floor. Kisame and Hidan roared with laughter. She slowly picked herself up and wobbled over to Konan.

"Hey, pretty lady." She said to Konan. She smiled at the drunk woman. "You ok?" She asked as she grabbed the woman's arms. "Everything ok?" She slurred. Konan gently rested her hands on the girl's shoulders to steady her. She smiled and nodded.

"Yes." She responded. "I was wondering if I could borrow pajamas. I seemed to have forgotten to get some today." Hanna stared at her and Konan wondered if she said something wrong when hanna started to sniffle and tear up. She was shocked when the woman held her to her chest and started to jump around.

"Oh, god, you're so fucking cute!" Hanna screamed as she ran into the living. "Konan is such a sweetie, oh my god I'm gonna cry."

"You are crying." Kakuzu pointed out.

"Shut it, stiches." Hanna sobbed as she hugged Konan. Hidan, who had walked in while Kisame and Deidara stumbled behind, roared in laughter at thenickname.

"Hanna, you're killing her." Jo told her. Hanna started sobbing and holding Konan even tighter. She fell to the floor, taking konan with her.

"I just wanted pajamas." Konan said, but it was mumbled.

"What did she say?" Kakuzu said, looking at Pein who shrugged. She struggled to get her head free. She was able to free her face and breathe.

"I just wanted to borrow some pajamas." Konan told them. Kakuzu snorted. Jo stood and set down her glass.

"I'll get you some of hers." She explained. "She's useless right now. Let me see if I can get her to let go." Jo mumbled as she wobbled over. tHe alcohol was kicking in. Probably wasn't wise to have everyone intoxicated, but it was a thrusday night. Jo bent over and poked Hanna in the side who screeched. "Turn lose, Hanna." She poked her side again, earning an wimper and a wiggle. "Turn loose." She ordered more forcefully. Then Jo started tickling her sides. "I said turn loose, bitch!" Konan was freed and Hanna was up and flailing, and running around until she flipped over the table.

"Turn down for what?" Lily screamed and stood on the recliner, startling everyone. They all stared at her. She wobbled and fell backwards over the chair and hit the ground.

"What the fuck." Jo mumbled and shook her head. "I hate these two. Come on, let's get you clothes." She said and helped Konan up. The two left and Hanna sat up.

"She gone?" Hanna asked and lily crawled out from behind the chair, nodding. Hanna grabbed the remote and flipped the tv to something called Pandora. "Time for bed guys, mommy's gonna play."

"What the hell?" Kakuzu mumbled when some loud obnoxious music came on.

"Dirty mind, dirty mind, dirty mind." Hanna started to sing and dance. Lily had her hands on her face, laughing. Hanna jumped on the table. "Hey you, I know what you're gonna do." She sang and pointed at Kisame. She kept singing and dancing on the table, just having a good time and Lily smiled, bouncing on her knees. Hanna jumped off the table and pulled her to her feet. They both started dancing. Hanna faced away from her and rubbed her but against Lily who dance behind her. tHe two were laughing and singing.

"Yeah!" Hidan hollered and took a chug from the bottle. Hanna ran over and grabbed Kisame to get him to dance. He just laughed and let her lead. Lily just danced on her own, trying not to fall over.

"She wants me at the party, she wants me at the mall, she wants me in the bathroom stall!" The two girls cheered. Lily grabbed Deidara's hands and started dancing, but not like how Kisame and Hanna were dancing. Instead, she grabbed his hands and they were swinging and waving their arms everywhere. Before long the song ended and another one came on. The music played and the two girls stopped dancing, staying very still until someone started singing.

"Do the halrmen shake!" They yelled and started to move, startingling deidara into falling over. Hanna flailed and danced and Lily pulled out her hair tie and startedwhipping her hair around.

"What the hell is going on?" Jo asked as she got into the room. Hidan and Kisame laughed. Hidan handed her the bottle.

"Have a drink and fucking relax." He told her. She eyed it and shrugged. What the hell. She took it and took three sips before coughing. It burned but it was good. She took one more sip before handing it off to kisame who took a sip as well. It took a few minutes but then she started to sway.

A familiar song came on and lily beamed and grabbed Itachi's hands, trying to pull him up to dance. He gently declined but she wouldn't give up.

"Hey, where'd you get that body from?" She sang and giggled before letting him go and stumbling back. She bumped into Hanna and started dancing again. Jo giggled. She actually giggled. It was the first time any of the akatsuki heard her _giggle._

It was a weird night.


	5. play dead

The next morning, Pein woke up before Konan. He had slept in the guest room with her, and shared a bed with her. They had been friends since childhood, and he had loved her since, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her. There was too much at risk. It was a cowardly thing to do, to hide it, but he couldn't risk it.

Pein sat up and looked at his friend. She slept peacefully. Her hair was down and spread over the white pillow. She had a soft smile on her face and she was on her side, facing him. One leg was on top of the blankets, and he could see her pale, slender leg and the funny pajama shorts she wore. They were blue with clouds on them, and a blue tank top.

Pein reached out and brushed some hair out of her face and gently traced her cheek. She hummed in her sleep. He watched her for a few more seconds. He couldn't help but feel relief that they were all safe for now. He no longer had to worry about them, about her. For now at least. It was good enough for him. They needed the break.

He stood up and pulled on some dark jeans. He left his white tank top on and walked out into the hall quietly. The sun was just barely starting to light up the sky, but not enough to really provide much light. Just enough. He made his way down stairs and down the hall. He stopped and froze at the sight. Kisame was sprawled out on the couch, snoring. Hidan was on the floor with Jo laying across his stomach and chest. Deidara was in one of the chairs. He looked at Itachi and saw the poor man was awake. He looked tired. In his lap, Lily had rested her head. He was holding something to her head, and to his surprise, it was a bloody paper towel. He frowned and glanced at her. Itachi saw and nodded. _She's fine._ Pein turned on his heel and went to the kitchen.

He wasn't the only one awake. Hanna stood at the counter, humming as she looked at something on her laptop. He got closer and saw it was the weather. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. He could see the bags under her eyes.

"Morning." She offered. He nodded at her. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you." He told her. She smiled and took a bite of cereal.

"You hungry?" She asked. He nodded and she smiled. "Come here, I'll show you how to work the Keurig first." She said. Pein walked over and watched as she explained it. She then showed him where all the plates and things were and let him make himself breakfast. Pein watched and listened. He was surprised at her behavior this morning. She was calmer, and almost seemed older. Her hair was pulled into a pony tail with some bangs falling out. She wore a collared shirt with a logo on it, dark green cargo pants, and heavy boots. She looked at her watch. "I have to go to work now. If you need anything, ask Jo. She should be getting up soon. Don't wake up Lily, she's nice, but she'll try to murder you in the morning." She pat his arm and grabbed her coffee, chugged it, and walked out, leaving pein to his own devices.

Jo was startled awake when the door slammed shut. She grunted and rubbed her face and sat up. She had fallen asleep on Hidan. She rolled her eyes and got off him, accidently elbowing him in the grunted.

"Shit." He mumbled. "What the hell?"

"Sorry." She mumbled and stood. "Go back to sleep." She ordered and shuffled into the kitchen. Hidan went back to sleep.

"Jo." Itachi said. Jo turned and saw Lily resting on his lap. "She hit her head."

"Did it stop bleeding?" She asked. He nodded. "Then don't worry about it. She's tougher than she looks and her skull is as hard as a rock." Itachi nodded. She shuffled into the kitchen and found pein. They nodded at each other and she went to make coffee. She was so tired.

"Is it alright if I cook?" Pein asked her. She raised an eyebrow at how polite he could be. Hse nodded and he pulled out a pan and some food from the fridge. She got her coffee and left. She needed a shower.

Jo went to her room and grabbed some clothes before going to the bathroom in the hall. She locked the door and turned on the water. She sipped more coffee as she waited for the water to heat up.

She fell asleep on Hidan. She teased Hidan, flirting with him. It was harmless of course, wasn't it? Isn't it ok to do that? Surely it was normal to flirt and tease other people. Then why did she feel like she was going to get in trouble, or get caught? She shook her head. She needed to stop. It was fine. People flirt, people tease. Hell, people date and kiss and fuck. She needed to get past this. She set down her coffee and stood in the warm water after stripping. She hummed, so warm.

Lily woke up and sat up. Itachi let her. She looked at him and blinked. She removed the paper towel from her head and frowned.

"You hit your head on the table." He explained she nodded and stood up before falling back over on the floor and falling asleep. Itachi looked at her and stood before sitting in the seat and leaning back. He needed more sleep.

Jo left the bathroom and bumped into Sasori. She let out and oof and Sasori steadied her. She nodded in thanks and he hummed.

"You sleep alright?" She asked. He nodded at her and she offered a small smile. "I know you're not used to being human again. If you need extra food or sleep, just go for it." Sasori nodded and Jo left to dump stuff in her room. She grabbed her phone and checked her emails as she headed downstairs. She came back into the kitchen and saw Pein, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Kisame in the kitchen. "It's too fucking early to be up." She mumbled at them. Kisame smirked and Deidara nodded. He looked terrible. He looked how she felt. She left her mug and left the kitchen. She grabbed her bag and walked out. She was gone for the day.

"What are we going to do, leader?" Kakuzu asked pein as he cooked. It was weird seeing him cook.

"We need to know how much they know of us." He stated. "When she wakes up, we will ask her. After we can determine how much they know, we need to gather information on how we got here."

"We don't even know how we got here." Kisame pointed out. Pein nodded.

"They have technology in their world that we do not." He explained. "It is possible they will be able to make better sense of it than we can."

"What if they can't help us, yeah?" Deidara asked, lifting his head up from the table. "What if there is no going back?" The group stood in silence for a few beats, waiting for Pein to respond. He turned off the stove and slid the eggs on the plate.

"We will solve that issue when, and if, we get to it." He instructed. "Until then, we will focus on gathering intel." He explained and turned around, a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate in the other. The group nodded in understanding and he left them.

Pein walked down the hall and up the steps to the guest room. He carefully opened the door to see konan had rolled over. He shut the door quietly and she hummed.

"Morning." She mumbled softly as he walked around to her side of the bed. She sat up and smiled. "You made me breakfast?" She asked. He nodded and she smiled softly at him, making room for him to sit. He set the mug down on the nightstand and handed her the plate. She took it from him and thanked him.

"Are you afraid we will never be able to go home?" He asked her. Konan stopped and looked at him, furrowing her eyebrows. "It was asked of me, what we were to do if we never went home." Konan thought.

"I suppose we would have to make the best of it." She answered but still looked concerned. "This isn't something any of us can control. But we are strong, and we can adapt if that is what it takes." She said and grabbed his hand. "For now, perhaps we should see it as a blessing. We can take this time to rest. Heaven knows we need it." She explained. Pein looked at her for a few minutes before leaning forward and resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair as he just breathed.

"Should we wake her up?" Kisame asked Itachi as they stood over Lily.

"Hn."

"Just wake the bitch up." Hidan grunted as he sat up.

"But remember yesterday how scared Jo and Hanna were, yeah?" Deidara pointed out. "They were afraid for us."

"Bitch that small can't be that scary." Hidan he said as he stood. He walked over to Lily and rolled her onto her back with his foot. The group of men surrounding her were startled by her open eyes. Her dark brown eyes stared at Hidan with such hate, Kisame and Deidara stepped back.

"Touch me again," She said quietly, "and you will lose a limb." Hidan smirked.

"Ha!" he shouted down at her, "yeah right, what the fuck can you do?" He laughed at her and moved his foot to nudge her. The moment his toe touched her side, she rolled, grabbing onto his leg and dug her teeth into his leg. Hidan shouted out in pain and tried to shake her off but ended up falling over. She dug her foot in his groin and started to pull his leg, aiming to pull it off. "What the fuck! Get the hell off me, bitch!" He shouted and started kicking her, trying to get her off. With a mighty kick, he accidently struck her face.

With out warning, Lily went limp and released Hidan. He freed his leg and sat up. Kisame and deidara looked terrified. He frowned and Itachi closed his eyes and sighed.

"You knocked her out." Kisame mumbled. "Damn it, Pein's gonna kill us."

"No, we're fine, un." Deidara said shakily. "We just gotta wake her up, yeah."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hidan shouted. "Did you not just see what the bitch just did?" Itachi crouched down and gently shook her shoulder. She didn't move, she didn't make a sound.

"Shit, she;s out cold." Kisame mumbled. "Way to go, Hidan."

"Oh man, we're fucked, yeah." Deidara whimpered. Itachi checked her pulse and breathing.

"She's still alive." He announced. Kisame grabbed him by the front of his shirt and started shaking him.

"Well that's great, but how the hell are we gonna explain this?" Kisame shouted as he shook itachi.

"Explain what?" Pein asked from the door way. He looked at each person in the room. Itachi was the only one who looked calm. Kisame released him and joined Deidara and hidan in trying to look innocent.

"Explain, uh." Kisame struggled. "Well, yah see-"

"Explain how we came to be in this world in the first place." Itachi lied smoothly. "We were trying to determine the most efficient way to explain how we came to this world based on our perception." Pein eyed them all and narrowed his eyes before nodding and leaving them to go to the kitchen. Hidan, Kisame and Deidara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn, what are we gonna do?" Kisame mumbled.

"We've just gotta hide this cock up until she wakes up, right?" Hidan said as he nugded her with is foot.

"Knock it off!" Kisame shouted and pushed him. "Did you not learn your freaking lesson?"

"The fuck is your problem?" Hidan shouted at him.

"Wait, I have an idea, yeah!" Deidara interrupted the two and fled from the room. Kisame and Hidan looked at each other before shrugging and following him, leaving Itachi alone with the unconscious Lily. He sighed to himself and knelt down. He hoisted her up and put her on his back and carried her, following the small group he was with.

"Dana, Dana, Dana!" Deidara shouted as he tossed the door open to the attic after flying up the steps. He whirled into the room and flew to the sleeping Sasori. He had gone to bed after Jo left. He glared at the blonde who was shaking him almost violently. "We need your help, yeah!" He told the red head. Sasori sat up and looked at Itachi and then at Lily. He sighed.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Would it be so terrible if we were to stay here?" Konan asked as she sipped her coffee. Pein looked at her from his seat on the edge of the bed. He held her hair flower in his hands. "We could start over here. It's different here, safer."

"You would not miss our world?" He asked her. Konan thought and paused. She sighed through her nose.

"I would." Konan told him and took his hand. "But we could be free here. All of us, free from being hunted. No more running."

"Until Hidan murdered someone." Pein mentioned. Konan chuckled.

"Or Deidara blows something up." She teased but they stopped when they heard a thud from upstairs. They looked up.

" _Damnit, Deidara!"_ They heard Kisame shout. " _Don't just drop her like that!"_

"What's going on?" Konan asked Pein.

"Lily is pretending to be unconscious." He explained and looked at Konan again. "Although, at this point, I am wondering if she is really unconscious."

"This isn't going to work."Itachi sighed.

"Did you really expect it to?" Sasori asked him. Itachi looked at him.

"Hn."

"Look, what the fuck can those two do?" Hidan asked. "We're fucking ninjas. What are they? Just some bitches."

"What about Pein?" Kisame asked. This had Hidan stop. Pein would let them bury his head in the yard, and probably help them, too.

"Fuck."


	6. Chapter 6

"Should we tell them, now?" Konan asked Pein as they looked on from the hall. Pein left to go to the kitchen and Konan followed.

"No, let them suffer for a little longer." He answered. Konan smiled at Pein. It was funny watching them panic any time someone tried to get Lily to talk. "Besides, Hanna said she would be home around this time. They will find out soon enough."

"They should be back any minute." Kisame pointed out as he looked at the clock on the wall. He rubbed his hands on his jeans in a nervous fashion. "We gotta think of something fast."

"Don't you think we fuckin' know that?" Hidan hissed at him.

"I woulda thought she'd come to by now, yeah." Deidara mumbled and elbowed her. They had her propped up on the couch. Their plan for now was to say she fell asleep. "Although, with Hidan dropping her on her head so many times, I'm surprised she's still alive, yeah." Hidan grabbed him by the front of his shirt and started shaking him.

"It's not like I fucking did it on purpose, you little shit!" He roared.

"Did what? Hidan, did you break something?" Hanna's voice came from behind them. All the men froze. Itachi, Hidan, Kisame, and Deidara slowly turned to look at her. She stood there with her head cocked to the side and a concerned look on her face. She neared the couch and leaned over it to see Lily was still on her pajamas and asleep. "Wow, is she still asleep? That's weird." She said and reached a hand to her friend's face. "Lily? You good?" She asked as she tried to smack her face gently. Kisame and Deidara visibly panicked and she noticed. She frowned. "What happened?"

"Well, ya see…" Kisame mumbled and rubbed his neck. "Uh….Deidara will tell ya!" He announced, proud on himself for getting out of that one. Deidara almost lost his shit. Hidan was slowly backing away, trying to escape but Hanna pinned him with a stare.

"Lily, come on wake up." She said and shook her friend again. "Lily, this isn't funny anymore, they're pissing themselves."

"What?" Kisame asked. Hanna winked at him and put a finger to her lips.

"Why the fuck isn't she waking up?" She asked, sounding irritated but having a smile on her face as she dug in her pockets for something. "Did you guys fucking knock her out?" She asked and pulled out her phone. "Then who the hell called the cops?"

When she asked that, Itachi noticed lily's face change. It looked like she was frowning. Hanna pressed something on her phone and police sirens sounded loudly. Lily leapt from the couch in the blink of an eye and damn near ran over Deidara. Hanna giggled and Kisame and Hidan stared after her in disbelief while Itachi just blinked.

"Move!" They heard her shout and heard a crashing sound followed by the back door being opened.

"Oh, shit." Hanna mumbled and dropped her bag. "Shit, stop her!" She called out and ran to the kitchen. Kisame and Itachi followed Hanna. Hanna ran through the kitchen and out the back door and they saw lily heading right for the fence. It was a tall stockade style fence, one of the ones you can't see through, and Lily was running straight at it. "Lily, stop!" Hanna called out. Lily jumped at the fence and hoisted herself up and over it with such grace she had clearly been doing that for years. Hanna stopped and huffed. She put her hands on her hips and Kisame and Itachi flanked her. "Shit." She mumbled. "She didn't even take her phone, did she?"

"I didn't see her grab anything." Kisame told her. "What was that about?" He asked. Hanna just looked up at him and smiled.

"She, uh." Hanna hesitated, trying to find the right way to explain. "Lily had an interesting time in highschool."

"The fuck does that mean?" Hidan asked as he came out into the backyard. Hanna blinked before smiling sheepishly again and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Lily, uh, had a tendency to break laws." Hanna admitted. Kismae and Itachi quirked their eyebrows up and Hanna got flustered. "Oh, she doesn't now! She's got herself together, it's just a habit for her to run, please don't think less of her."

"Ha! Bitch is fine in my book!" Hidan laughed.

"Goddamn it! Hanna! Don't just drop your bag in front of the door!" Jo called.

"Shit." Hanna mumbled as she stood there, scared of her friend. "She's gonna kill us."

"Us? Why us? Didn't you scare her away?" Kisame asked.

"You guys were the ones who thought you knocked her out." She pointed out and she could see the blue man pale. She clung to his arm and looked up at him. "Save me." She whispered.

"Hanna!" Jo called as she came outback. She was in a black pencil skirt with a white buttonup shirt tucked into it. She wore heels and her hair was up in a bun again. It was always weird seeing her dressed up. "What's going on? Where's Lily?"

"Bitch hopped the fence!" Hidan laughed. Hanna looked terrified and Kisame grabbed him by his shirt and threw him into the pool.

"She was pretending to be passed out again, so I blasted some sirens and she kinda took off. In her pajamas….without her phone." Hanna admitted. They all stood there, waiting for Jo to do or say something. Jo turned on her heel and went inside. Hanna stood there, confused. She followed Jo inside, tugging Kisame along with her. She followed Jo to the kitchen.

"Jo?" Hanna asked. "You gonna say something?"

"She'll come back." Jo pointed out and looked at Hanna with a smile. "You know she'll be ok. Lily will probably come back tonight and you can explain to her what happened." If hanna looked scared before, the face she made now mad her look absolutely terrified. Jo smiled and hummed as she opened the fridge and took out a beer.

"Wait, when did we get beer?" Hanna asked as she neared the fridge. There were a lot of new things in there.

"I picked up some groceries on my way home." Jo said as she cracked it open. "But we'll need to do more tomorrow." She explained and walked away. "I need pants." She mumbled and hanna snorted. Hanna turned to the group who had been following her around.

"What do you guys want for dinner?" She asked.

Lily winced as she walked. Her feet hurt and she was hungry. She hadn't eaten all day, but at least she had something more than her pajama shirt on. She should have kept shoes in her hideout, but it never occurred to her that she would be running barefoot again. She winced as she pulled herself up and over the fence and let herself fall and roll. She didn't want to lad on her feet and push the glass farther in than needed.

"So hungry." She mumbled as she snuck to the tree near the house. She hauled herself up each branch, getting closer and closer to her room. She hopped onto the little roof that was under her window and crawled up it. She was thankful she had the mindfulness to take out the screen when she first moved in. She opened up the window and rolled in with a thud. "Home." She mumbled. She sat up and crawled to the door. She didn't bother turning on the light since she was heading to the bathroom anyway. She stood and slid into the hallway, trying to be quiet.

"What was that?" Kisame asked as he looked at the ceiling. Pein, Sasori and Kakuzu were also looking up. They heard the thud.

"Lily's home." Jo said as she sat on the couch. She sat with her legs crossed like a pretzel. She was in her pajamas now, and very comfortable.

"Should we go see if she's ok?" Kisame asked. Hanna shook her head and flipped the tv to the weather.

"Nah, she'll be down soon. Just let her be." Hanna told him.

"Why are we watching the weather again, un?" Deidara asked. Hanna nodded and hummed as she sipped her beer.

"Because I need to watch that storm." She explained. "If it's a hurricane and hits land just right, I misght have to go and leave Lily and Jo alone with you losers."

"Who the hell are you calling a loser you fucking bitch?" Hidan shouted as he picked her up off the couch, holding her in a chokehold.

"Kisame! Beer!" She gasped and handed it off to him, trying not to spill it. Kisame took it and chuckled. Hanna was kicking and trying to get free. Kisame reached back and punched him in the groin. Hidan dropped Hanna and dropped to the ground. Hanna landed back on the couch and fell over, leaning against Kisame, who had his arm still up and over the back of the couch. She tried not blush as she was leaning against his chest. She could feel him chuckle and he brought his arm to wrap around her shoulder.

"Saved your beer." He told her and handed it back. She nodded in thanks and took it back.

Lily grabbed the doorknob to the bathroom and opened it only to freeze. Lily was startled to see itachi puling on a black tee shirt. He looked at her and Lily was thankful to find he had pulled on some sweatpants first. She nodded at him.

"Sorry." She mumbled and closed the door. Lily sighed as she slid down the wall. Itachi blinked. Lily was home. He hummed and finished toweling his hair. He hung it up and opened the door to see her sitting in the hall.

"Welcome home." He offered. Lily offered a small smile and struggled to stand up. Her feet really hurt. Itachi saw her struggling and looked at her feet. He picked her up, startling her. She quickly recovered.

"Can youset me on the counter?" She asked. Itachi followed her directions. They had a large counter where the sink was. He set her down and she stuck her feet in the sink. He could see just how much glass was in her feet. There was blood and dirt all over her feet. "Thanks." She mumbled and opened a draw, pulling out tweezers. In a drawer below that, she pulled out a bottle of peroxide. Itachi stood aside and watched her. She pulled one foot up slightly so she could reach and starting removing glass. The first one caused her to grunt and took her a few seconds to pull it out. She huffed when the lass fell into the sink. This would take a while. Lily saw Itachi was still there and looked at him.

"You can leave now." She mumbled and went to the next piece of glass. She grit her teeth and yanked hard. She grunted and rested her head on her knee. That one hurt.

Instead of leaving, Itachi moved towards her and rested his hand on hers and took the tweezers from her.

"May I help?" He asked her. Lily looked at him and narrowed her eyes. He didn't care, he wanted something. Itachi stared back at her. Lily's teal hair was still in a bun and very messy now. Her face had some dirt in it and she wore a black, baggy tee shirt and denim shorts. She nodded and leaned back on her hands. Itachi gently held her ankle and started pulling glass from her foot as gently as he could. She held still and kept as quiet as she could. Every so often she would let out a hiss or a grunt and Itachi would look at her, making sure she was ok. She would nod and he would continue. He never pointed out te red tint her eyes were starting to get, trying to spare her the rest of her dignity.

He was almost done with the top half of her foot when he heard a sniffle. He glanced at her and saw she was looking at the ceiling. She was trying to keep back her tears. Her jaw was clenched shut painfully and her hands were in fists. He needed to distract her.

"What did you mean last night?" He asked her. Lily frowned, trying to think of wht he meant. "While you were in the pool." He saw it click in her face. She shrugged.

"I say things when I'm drunk." She shrugged it off. "Everyone does."

"You spoke as if you also had made a decision you regret." Itachi continued. "Hanna had mentioned you had a tendency to break the law when you were younger." He looked at her and saw she was staring at him with such hate. "You were a criminal." She scowled and snatched the tweezers from him.

"If you're going to help me, then fine," She spat, "but if you're just gonna sit here and ask stupid questions, then get out." Itachi stared at her. He took a step back and inclined his head.

"I apologize if I have offended you." He told her and turned to leave. Lily grunted as she tried to pull out the glass. She paused. Maybe, maybe she should talk to someone. Someone other than Jo and Hanna. Take aleap of faith, maybe.

"I…." Lily spoke but hesitated. Itachi stopped in the doorway. "I made a lot of bad choices." Itachi listened. "I'm sorry. It's just not as far in the past as I like to imagine." Itachi looked over his shoulder.

"Have your choices cost the lives of others?" He asked quietly as he stepped back into the bathroom. Lily shrugged.

"Sometimes." She admitted. "Not always. But then again, they always had the choice to walk away as well." Itachi walked back over to her and took the tweezers from her hands gently and went back to pulling glass from her feet.

"Hn." He said, agreeing with her.

"You guys have opium in your world?" She asked after some silence. He nodded and glanced at her.

"I finished this foot." He told her. She nodded and handed him the bottle of peroxide.

"Ok, so I need your help with this. Make sure you have a good grip on my ankle." He followed her instructions. "Pour a little at time over the cuts and wait. They should turn white. Then wash that away with water. Keep ding that until the cuts don't turn white." Itachi nodded and began. Lily bit down on her hand to keep from making noise. Once he was done, he looked at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded. He didn't hesitate and grabbed the tweezers to begin pulling glass out of her other foot. A few moments of silence passed before he spoke again. "You had mentioned opium." He pointed out.

"For get it." She mumbled. "It's nothing."

"It must be something for you to have asked." He pointed out and looked at her before continuing his work. She stared at him for a few seconds.

"Do you guys have morphine?" She asked. He nodded and she spoke again. "DO you guys have heroine?" She asked. Itachi frowned and thought. He shook his head. "It's a drug in the same family as morphine and opium. It's extermemly addictive and very dangerous." She explained. "WE actually have a huge problem with it in this country because it not only gets you high, but it also blocks pain. Imagine you ache just from living, your bones hurt or your muscles are sore every day and then there's this medicine that makes everything ok again." Lily paused and itachi looked at her. sHE rested her cheek on her knee. She had a sad smile on her face.

"You were addicted to this substance." He stated. She hummed and let out a dry chuckle.

"There was a saying where I grew up, that if you used heroine, you were trying to commit suicide." She told him. "Even if you just started and were using non lethal doses, everyone knew it would escalate."

"Do you still take heroine?" He asked her softly. She shook her head and he oculdn't help but feel relief. HE went back to his work and ignored it. "If people know how dangerous it is, why do they use it?" Lily shrugged.

"For some people, it's worth the risk." She admitted. "Other people start off using medicine like morphine, but end up addicted by accident. Maybe they had a surgery and the doctor gave them a pain killer. But after a while, the pain killer doesn't work. They then can turn to heroine."

"You know much about this drug." He pointed out. She let out a dry laugh.

"I should." She told him. "It's been a part of my life since I was little." They sat in silence for a bit and Itachi kept working on her feet. After a few minutes she spoke again. "I used to sell it." She admitted to him. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I started selling it when I was young, just tryin to mke enough money to live, you know?" She mumbled. "But then I started using, and I used with friends. Just about anything that would get you high, we'd take. We were so stupid." She mumbled. "I had a couple of close calls, and it's a miracle I'm still alive." She admitted and looked at her hand that was now bleeding from being bit. "Some of my friends, and the people I sold it to, they weren't so lucky. I lost so many friends to that drug."

"Are you still involved in any way?" He asked her. She shook her head and looked up at him. She was expecting disappointment or loathing. Lily was startled to see a sympathetic smile. "Didn't you tell me, that it is alright to make mistakes?" Lily blinked. Had she said that? Itachi smirked and lifted his hand. He poked her between the eyes. Lily blushed a bit and looked away before resting her face on her knee. She closed her eyes.

"Just…..shut up and rip glass from my foot." She mumbled. Itachi smirked and continued on with his work.


	7. Chapter 7

"Jesus, look at that sucker." Hanna mumbled at the television. They watched the tropical storm and the possible projections.

"Where are we on the map, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Right here, babe." Jo mumbled as she pointed to where they were. Deidara's eyes widened.

"It's gonna hit us, yeah!" He announced. "Should we do anything?" Hanna glanced at Jo who caught her eye. Jo shrugged.

"You're the weatherman." She told her. "It's your call, babe."

"Why the fuck do you keep calling everyone babe?" Hidan shouted. She looked at him with a smirk.

"Jealous, babe?" She teased and Hidan grit his teeth a Pein cut in.

"What measures can we take?" Pein asked. "How long do we have?"

"It's not even definatley going to hit us yet." Hanna pointed out. "Tomorrow, maybe a few of us can go to the hardware store and get some stuff to start boarding up the house with. Jo?" She asked. Jo hummed. "I kinda want some of them to know how to drive." Jo did a spit take, right on hidan, who was sitting on the floor in front of her chair.

"What the hell was that for?" Hidan roared. He tried to stand up, but Jo put a hand on his head and forced him to sit.

"Shut up and sit, big boy." She told him.

"Stop fucking calling me that!"

"We are not teaching them how to drive." Jo told her firmly. Hanna put her hands up in defense.

"Not al of them, just like two or three." Hanna suggested. "In case something happens to us. Better safe than sorry, ya know?" JO looked at her, eyeing her. Then men in the room, Pein, Kakuzu, Sasori, Kisame, even hidan, looked on in curiousity. What would they drive? Who would teach them. Jo shrugged. "It's your car." She told her. Hanna jumped up from the couch in celebration.

"Yes!" She pumped her fist in the air. "Y'all are gonna learn how to drive!"

"I swear you have a death wish." Jo mumbled.

"Can I help?" Lily asked. A few people turned and saw her. Konan smiled when she saw Itachi was giving her a piggy back.

"Hell, yeah!" Hanna grinned. "I wa thinking of teaching Pein and Itachi at least."

"Ok, who's the third?" Hanna asked. Hanna hummed and looked around. Who would be responsible? Who would not run them into a ditch or tree if they got angry.

"What about Konan?" JO suggested. Konan blinked. Hanna nodded her head aggressively, amking a few of the guests look at her oddly. Jo shrugged and turned to the blue woman. "I can teach you in my car." She said. Konan nodded and smiled.

"Now that that's settled." Lily mumbled and pat Itachi's shoulder. "To the Kitchen, Uchia!" She ordered and pointed.

"Hn." He hummed and walked. Lily was hungry, she hadn't eaten all day.

"How likely is it the storm will hit us?" Kisame asked as hanna sat down again. She shrugged and indicated to the tv.

"See that little red stripe they have? That's the most likely path. Soon they'll show a few ofther possible trajectories, but those are just small lines." She explained. "Right now, it looks as if it's going to go just under us." Kisame listned intently, as did mny of the people sitting in the living room.

Hanna could go from sweet and bubbly to all business at the drop of a hat, and it was interesting to hear her talk about things like the weather. She was genuinely interested in it and seemed to enjoy explaining everything to them.

"Let's just hope they don't evacuate us." Jo said and leaned her head back. She was sitting on the chair with her legs draped over the side. "I don't want to have to drive all over creation."

"Yeah, no one wants to get stuck in a car with you." Hanna stuck her tongue out at Jo. Hidan barked out loudly and held his side while laughing.

"Why are you laughing, big boy?" Jo asked and he glared at her. "You're gonna be riding my trunk the whole way."

"That's what she said." Hanna laughed.

"She did say that." Sasori said to her. "We all know what she said. Why is that funny?" Hanna just started laughing harder to the point where tears were coming out of her eyes.

"Hanna, that was a shitty joke." Jo told her. "It doesn't even make sense."

"What's she dying over?" lily asked as she hobbled to the room.

"A shitty that's what she said." Jo told her. "Then sasori got confused." Lily frowned.

"What was said?" She asked, confused as well.

"Hidan would be riding my trunk the whole way." Jo told her. Pein, Kisame, Konan and Sasori waited a few seconds before Lily bust out in a grin. "It doesn't even make sense!" Jo shouted. Lily put her hands up in surrender and made her way back into the kitchen. "Can you bring me my chips? I'm hungry!"

"Damn, you just fucking ate!" Hidan told her as he turned around to look at Jo. "How are you not fucking fat?" Jo just smirked at him.

"Here's your fucking chips!" Lily shouted and tossed a bag of ships across the room. They landed on Deidara who was playing a game on Jo's computer. It startled him. Hanna reached over and grabbed them, tossing them to Jo this time. Jo nodded in thanks.

"He big boy," Jo said and elbowed Hidan's head. "Want one?" She offered and put the bag near his shoulder. He huffed and took one. He popped one in his mouth and grimaced as he swallowed. He started coughing.

"What the fuck kind of chip is that?" He roared. Jo shrugged and looked at the bag.

"Salt and vinegar." She told him. "Good, hu?" She asked. Hidan sat there for a minute.

"Yeah, actually." He admitted and reached his hand in to the bag. Jo swatted at him.

"Don't take the whole fucking bag." She shouted.

"I'm not, calm the fuck down!" He shouted back at her. Jo glared at him as he took a handful and started popping them in his mouth. Hanna, sitting between Kakuzu and Kisame, stred a the two before shrugging.

"Any who…" She said and flipped the channel. "Now for murder!"

"What?" Kisame asked and she pointed at the screen. "It's a show. It's about murder, and it's funny."

"Why don't we watch Jaws?" Jo asked, sounding bored and not fond of the murder show idea. Hanna bounced off the couch and over the small table, almost knocking over Deidara and stepping on Sasori.

"Hey, watchi it, un!" Deidara shouted. She just stuck her tongue out at him and started looking at the movies. She pulled it out and held the case close to her chest to hide what it was about. She popped it in and put the case back before jumping back on the couch.

"Jeeze, you're almost as bad as Tobi, yeah." Deidara told her.

"Where is he, by the way?" Jo asked, looking around. "Where's my candyman?" She slurred.

"I think you've had enough wine." Hann mumbled. Jo made a funny noise.

"Pssh." She mumbled. "I've had enough when my blood is replaced with it."

"Wow." Hanna mumbled and hit play. "Watch this scene, it's so cool." She announced but turned to Zetsu who stood in the corner. "Zetsu, can you turn off the lights?" He nodded and did as she asked. She smiled at him. "You can come sit you know, besides, I don't think you can see it well from your corner." Zetsu looked her straight in the eyes, glaring and began to shrink into the floor. He didn't speak until it was just his head above the floor.

"No." He said and with a pop, he was gone.

"What was that about?" Sasori asked, frowning. Usually, Zetsu isn't so….. what even was that?

"He's probably still mad I didn't let him eat Hidan." Jo slurred, shrugging.

"Excuse me-" Hanna said but Jo cut her off, looked her dead in the eyes and spoke.

"You are excused."

"Jo, I stopped him from eating Hidan. _You_ tried to feed him to Zetsu." Hanna pointed out. Jo crossed her arms and pouted. Hidan was eating all the chips, but she wasn't paying attention.

"When was this?" Sasori asked, not remembering it. HE probably slept through it.

"Are any of you watching this?" Kakuzu asked gruffly.

"Yeah, shut up, hm!" Deidara added. Hanna snapped her head to the tv and whined loudly.

"Damnit, we missed it." She said and rewound the movie. "Let's watch it all again. Everyone shut up."

"You were the one talking." Kakuzu pointed out and she elbowed him hard. HE actually grunted. They all sat in silence and watched as a young woman and young man were running along a beach at night, drunk. Hidan whistled when she started to take off her clothes. Hanna smirked when she notice Konan twitch slightly, startled, when the woman started to get attacked. They all watched in silence as blood filled the water. It was quiet until Hanna's stomach growled.

"I want cake." She mumbled and Kisame laughed. Hanna paused the movie. "Who wants some?"

"Hanna, it's too late to bake." Jo said and laughed at her own rhyme. Hanna unpaused the movie and stood.

"Lily, I'm gonna bake a cake!" She announced and Even Pein seemed startled when Lily's scream of delight filled the house.

"You bitches are gonna get fat if you don't fucking stop eating so damn much." Hidan said as he ate more chips. He almost choked when jo hit the back o his head.

"No." She said as if tlking to a dog and hit the back of his head again. Lily walked in to see her hit Hidan. "You don't say that here. Bad boy." She slurred. "Where's my good boy?" She looked and saw Tobi was asleep on the other side of the room. "Oh."

"Jo, stop beating him up." Lily said as she sat where Hanna had sat. Itachi had opted to stay in the kitchen and make tea.

"Fuck you, Lily." Jo spat at her. "You need to gain weight."

"Better thn being a fat ass." Lily spt back. Kakuzu sighed and paused the movie again. Jo rolled over and landed on hidan.

"What the fuck!" He shouted but Jo didn't move. She glared at Lily.

"Fucking addict." Jo spat at her.

"Fucking whore." Lily spat back and crossed her arms. The people in the room were starting to get uncomfortable. Was this banter or were they really gonna go for each other's throat.

"At least I get dick." Jo told her with a smirk.

"Hard to imagine how, you fucking potato." Lily smirked, thinking she won.

"Betch, you look like a Brussel sprout." Jo told her. No sooner had the words left her mouth than lily was one her feet. Kisame and Deidara paled as the temperature dropped and Hidan sudden looked nervous at having Lily's target in his lap. Kakuzu watched the situation, ready to step in if Pein wanted him to. Konan twitched and eyebrow. Lily was standing and a dark aura hung around her, and they could see why Jo and hanna were so afraid of her the night they showed up. Lily went red in the face.

"YOU TAKE THOSE WORDS BACK INTO YOUR WHORE MOUTH!" Lily roared, scaring Toi awake.

"YOU FUCKING WOKE UP MY CANDY MAN!" Jo shouted.

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?" Lily screamed back and grabbed her hair. "WHY THE FUCK DID YOU CALL ME A BRUSSEL SPROUT?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH IT?"

"WHAT ISN'T WRONG WITH BRUSSEL SPROUTS?" lily shrieked. Sasori put his hands over his ears. "THEY'RE TERRIBLE! AT LEAST POTATOES DON'T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE SHIT, BUT NO MATTER WHAT THE FUCK YOU DO, BRUSSEL SPROUTS LOOK AND TASTE LIKE THE DEVIL'S SHIT!"

"Oh, so I was right." Jo pointed out. Lily's head all but flew off her shoulders as she lunged for Jo.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" she screamed. Jo sat on her knees and caught Lily, grabbing her hands. The two rolled, off Hidan, kicking him in the process. Jo struggled with lily and pulled her hair while Lily struggled and kicked and head butted.

"Should we do something, hm?" Deidara asked Sasori.

"I don't want to get between that." He said. Kisame stood up and quickly left the room, looking unnerved at Lily's outburst.

"Tobi's scared." He heard Tobi whimper and rolled his eyes. Everyone was worried. Or something. Kisame escaped to the kitchen and found hanna humming happily as she washed a few dishes. Itachi nodded at him in greeting.

"Are they fighting?" Itachi asked him. Kisame nodded and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

"You gotta see it." He said. "I think they're really trying to kill each other."

"Jo's been drinking." Hanna stated. "As long as they don't go to name calling we're good. Lily's been drinking in here, too, according to Itachi." Hanna waited for Kisame's answer. When she didn't get one she stopped scrubbing the bowl and looked at Kisame. He wouldn't look at her in the face and was kicking at the floor with his bare foot. "She called Lily a Brussel sprout again, didn't she?" Kisame nodded and Hanna dropped the bowl in the sink and took off her apron as she walked to the hall.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Kisame asked as he and itachi followed. She shoved the apron at Kisame.

"Hold my apron, babe." She ordered and went to the back of the living room. She waited and breathed. Pein and Konan saw her. Kakuzu followed their stares and looked over the back of the couch where Hanna was standing. She crouched to get ready to run and Kakuzu leaned to the side. She took off in a sprint.

"JOOOOOOHHHHHN CEEEEEEEENAAAAA!" She shouted as a battle cry and launched herself over the couch. Lily and Jo screamed as Hanna fell ontop of them, elbow first. The two sat on the floor, groaning. She had hit Jo in the gut and her hip hit Lily's torso hard. "Are you two done?" She shouted. Lily nodded and Jo coughed.

"You killed me." Jo mumbled as she tried to get up. "Oh, god, I died." She mumbled and fell over, saring tobi into standing. He stod next to her and crouched down.

"Is Miss Jo alrgiht?" He asked, shaking her. "Is Miss Jo dead?"

"At least someone cares." She mumbled into the floor.

"Hanna." Lily grunted. "I think you cracked my ribs." She mumbled as she held her side. Hanna sat up and looked at her.

"You'll live."

"Why are you so mean to me?" Lily whined. Hanna just smiled and shrugged as she stood and dusted off her pajama pants as if they were dirty. "There, now I have a kitchen to clean."

"So this movie's about a shark, hm?" Deidara asked. Hidan, Sasori, Kisame, Kakuzu and even Pein stared at him like he was insane. He looked around innocently. "What?"

Sorry it's so short and its been so long. I just needed to get the John cena part in. it's been bugging me. Hope to update again tomorrw


	8. Chapter 8

"Jo," Lily said as she shook her friend's shoulder. "Jo, wake up," Jo grunted and lily sighed. "Jo, you gotta teach Konan how to drive today and we're getting ready to go."

"Fuck." She mumbled and sat up. The blanket fell off her and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Jo, put a shirt on." She said and tossed a shirt at her from the floor. Jo looked down and found she was naked. "You started stripping again." Jo put on her shirt and rolled onto the floor. She was glad she only had a matress. She liked being close to the floor. She crawled over to her sweatpants and stood up.

"Is coffee ready?" She asked as she started getting dressed.

"Yeah. Hanna's making breakfast for everyone, too. Figured you'd want to eat before we left." Lily explained. Jo looked over her shoulder with a smirk.

"Aw, you do care." She teased. Lily just stared at her before looking away and crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry I called you a potato." Lily told her. Jo stopped moving for a second. She turned to face lily, seeing her looking at the wall. Jo smirked and started walking out the door. She pat Lily's shoulder.

"I love potatoes." Jo told her and lily followed, rolling her eyes. They walked down the hall together. "Besides, I had no right to call you an addict."

"But I am an addict." Lily frowned, confused. Jo nodded.

"Yeah, but you're a recovering addict. You might not believe it, but there is a difference between the two." Jo told her and gave a small sincere smile. Lily scowled.

"Stop smiling, it's weird and makes me think you're planning something." Lily told her as they neared the stairs. "Besides, that's not what I'm mad about." Jo shrugged.

"Then I got nothing to apologize for." She could feel Lily glaring at her and put a hand on the rail and started down the steps. "Let's go, Brussel sprout." She teased. Her eyes widened when Lily's foot connected with her back and she went flying forward. "Oof." She let out as she fell forward. Luckily for her, Hidan wasat the bottom of the stairs and caught her.

"What the fuck?" He mumbled as he caught her out of reflex. Jo looked up and smirked. She wrapped her arms around his chest and pressed herself up against him.

"Hm, good morning," She said to him. "You miss me?"

"Wha the fuck is wrong with you?" Hidan said, looking down at her.

"Where do we even begin?" Lily asked as she walked down the steps. She walked past the two and headed in the direction of the kitchen. "Fuck him later, Jo. We got shit to do. It's gonna storm later." Lily left and Jo pouted but released Hidan and walked away. Hidan watched her go, confused, and she winked at him over her shoulder.

Kakuzu came into the hall and passed Jo. She bid him good morning and he nodded at her in greeting. He had a mug of coffee he was enjoying. He watched Jo leave and turned to Hidan.

"She's got an ass." Kazuzu pointed out and sipped his coffee. Hidan snapped his head to Kakuzu. It was rare for him to talk like that. He looked at him suspiciously. "Don't even think about it, Hidan."

"You were the one fucking talking about her ass!" Hidan shouted and grabbed Kakuzu by the front of his tan shirt. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I know you're type of women." Kakuzu pointed out and removed Hidan's hand from his shirt. "I'm warning you. It's not a good idea."

"Psh, the fuck do you care?" Hidan asked before smirking. "Kakuzu, you bastard, I didn't know you cared."

"I don't." He said. "I just don't want to deal with your bitching when we go back." Kakuzu explained with a shrug.

"Ha, since when have I ever bitched about fucking ditching someone?" Hidan bragged. "She'll be the one bitching when we leave."

"She doesn't strike me as the type to get attached to her lovers." Kakuzu pointed out. Hid grinned like a wolf.

"Even fucking better." Hidan told him. Kakuzu looked him dead in the eye.

"Then why are you stalling?" He asked. Hidan cocked and eyebrow and tilted his head. What? "You know what I'm talking about. The tension between you two is thicker than Tobi. Screw her and get it over with."

"She's so fucking weird, though." Hidan admitted. "I can't tell if she wants to fuck or if she's just fucking with me."

"She wants to fuck you." Kakuzu told him and sipped his coffee. "Trust me."

"Kakuzu, what the fuck are you doing?" Hidan asked, suspecting something.

"I'd rather have you chasing her than breaking things _that cost money_." Kakuzu explained with a glare.

"And what about Pein?" Hidan pointed out. He didn't feel like be buried in the backyard and dismembered if shit hit the fan. Kakuzu shrugged and sipped his coffee. Hidan waited patiently for his answer and started tapping his foot impatiently.

"He doesn't have room to say anything and he knows it." Kakuzu explained. Hidan was confused by now.

"What?"

"He's screwing Konan." Kakuzu told him. Hidan barked out a laugh.

"Fucking finally!" He roared. "Damn, it took them for fucking ever!"

"I know." Kakuzu told him with a smirk. "Saw a love bite on her neck this morning and Pein is still missing." Hidan laughed harder.

"Damn, Kakuzu, you fucking know everything that's going on in this fucking group!" Hidan laughed.

"I need to for blackmail." Kakuza said and Hidan stared at him. "Where do you think I get your allowance from?" Hidan blinked and looked almost appalled. His partner could be terrifying sometimes. Kakuzu shoulder checked Hidan and walked past him. Hidan watched him go and shrugged before wlaking towards the kitchen. Kakuzu made his way up the steps and to Hanna's room.

"It's done." He said quietly. No sooner had he spoken, Zetsu melted through the wall, carrying Hanna. He set her down and she smiled at Zetsu in thanks. HSe dug a twenty out of her pocket and handed it to Kakuzu.

"That's the other half." She said and grinned. "So are Konan and pein really together?" Hanna asked, excitedly, clapping her hands together. Kakuzu looked at her before nodding. Hanna squealed and before he could stop her, she was hugging him around the middle and jumping around. He was startled. When was the last time someone hugged him? When was the last time he let someone get this close to him and not cut their head off *cough* HIdan *cough*. She released him and turned to Zetsu. "Alright, green man, let's go get you your steak!" She announced. Zetsu grinned and Hanna hugged him before he melted into the floor. Kakuzu looked at the twenty before putting it in his jean pocket.

"Pleasure doing business."

The kitchen was a lively setting and Lily couldn't help but look around and smile. Sasori was pouring his second cup of coffee and still looked like death warmed over. Deidara was next to him, talking excitedly about a video of some stupid people blowing things up. Hanna was unwrapping a very large, fresh steak and Zetsu was practically hovering over her. Well, he was sticking out of the ceiling. Hanna smiled and tossed it up to him. The two tones man grinned and caught it. Jo scolded the two for getting blood on the floor and Hanna tossed the trash in the trash can, rolling her eyes. Jo went back to piling food on her plate and talking to Konan. They were talking quietly and Lily couldn't hear them, but she assumed it was about the small mark that was mostly hidden by Konan's shirt. Lily couldn't help but smile when Pein shuffled in, looking almost as bad as Sasori, and shuffled up behind Konan. He startled Konan and Jo as he wrapped his arms around her and dropped his pierced face on her shoulder. The rest of the Akatsuki didn't look impressed. Hidan was sitting at the table, in the middle of telling Kisame a joke and Tobi was jumping and trying to grab onto Zetsu. Zetsu let him jump, but kept moving slightly to stay just out of reach. Lily smiled and nodded at Kakuzu as he joined the little group. Lily was startled out of her day dream when someone bumped her arm gently. She looked to her side and saw Itachi standing next to her. Lily was sitting on the counter. Itachi stood next to her with a plate of food. She would occaisionally eat off of it, but Itachi was starting to block her attempts. Lily couldn't help but feel blessed this morning. Everything was ok, and this was where they all belonged.

"Ok, so first thing you gotta do is make sure everyone is buckled." Jo stated. Pien nodded and buckled up. "The keys go here. Now twist them and the car will start." He followed her instructions as she explained to him the speed limit, the speedometer, the gear that changes direction of the car, the steering wheel, the gas and the pedals. She had him shift into reverse and slowly back out of the driveway. "Keep going, keep going, turn the wheel a bit, no the other way. Ok, keep going, now turn the wheel some more. Now stop, step on the other pedal." Pien stopped the car and stepped on the brake to fast. The car Jerked and Jo was thankful or the seatbelts. "Ok. We'll work on that."

Jo instructed Pein down the street. She had him drive around the neighborhood until she felt he got the hang of it. Then she let him drive around without her telling him where to go, letting him decide, but commenting when she felt she needed to. They sat in silence for a while until Jo spoke.

"Is everyone settling in alrgiht?" She asked. Pein glanced at her before nodding.

"Yes." He confirmed. "I would like to thank you for your hospitality." Jo smirked.

"I couldn't just kick you out on the street." She told him. "My abuela taught me better than that." Pien nodded, not sure what an abuela was. They sat in silence for a bit before Jo spoke again. "Congrats on the sex, by the way." Pien was startled. Jo smirked. "It's fine. No one cares. If anything, they're happy for you guys." She smiled at him and he glanced at her as he kept driving.

"I must ask-" Jo cut him off.

"You're asking me to keep quiet about it, I get it." She explained. "But only for the sake of your privacy. You don't have to hide anymore, Pein. You guys are safe here, no one is going to hurt who you love just to get to you. Does that make sense?" Pien looked at her and nodded and stopped the car at a stop sign. "It's going to take a while to get used to it, but don't be afraid to do things like hug her or hold her hand. You don't have to hide it here." He started the car moving forward again.

"Thank you." Pein told her stiffly. He wasn't sure how to process this information. She had been right on the nail about everything. She was able to articulate his concerns and put his worries to rest. How does one respond to this?

"Turn here." She instructed. "Follow this car but be careful not to hit it." Pein did as he was told. They were next to a building that was one story and appeared to be a restaurant. "Roll down your window. Are you hungry?" Pein shook his head and let her lean close to him to talk out the window.

"Welcome to McDonald's how can I help you?" A woman's voice asked from the box.

Hanna flipped and kicked off the wall. She took a breathe and held it, moving her arms and kicking until she hit the other end of the pool. She flipped and repeated the motions. She pumped her arms as fast as she could. Kisame sat at the edge with his feet hanging in. He watched with a smile. She was fast. Deidara sat with his feet in the pool as well but he was laying down.

Hanna resurfaced and hung onto the ledge. She caught her breathe before swimming over to Kisame and Deidara.

"You guys can come in if you want, you know." She told them. Kisame slid in and pushed of the wall. He started doing laps as well. As he passed her, he kicked and splashed Hanna and Deidara.

"Hey! What the hell, un!" He shouted and sat up. Hanna glared at him playfully and watched the shark man swim. She moved away from the wall and he started to circle her. She waited.

Kisame bolted at her without warning and grabbed heraround the shoulder and middle and made to stand, but Hanna used her weight to pull him back under water, where she twisted and swam to the wall. She tried to jump out and let out a playful shriek when Kisame grabbed her and pulled her back in.

"Deidara, help me!" She shouted and reached out. Deidara smirked.

"Nah," He said and lay down again. She was pulled back into the pool. Deidara laughed to himself and closed his eyes, soaking up the sun. He lay there, relaxing, until a shadown appeared over him. He frowned and opened his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Sasori asked as he leaned over the blonde. Deidara grinned and sat up.

"Just soakin' up the sun, yeah." He said and patted the dry ground next to him, inviting Sasori to sit. Sasori sat next to the blonde and stuck his feet in after rolling up his jeans. It was hot out, and Sasori wasn't used to being this warm. He wasn't used to really having skin. "How's it feel, un?" He asked. Sasori looked at him and quirked and eyebrows. Deidara grinned. "Bein' human again. How do you ya feel, Dana?" Sasori frowned and looked away. Deidara laughed quietly to himself and rested his hands on the ledge, leaning forward. He didn't notice how close his hand was to Sasori's until their fingers touched.

Sasori jerked his hand away like it was burning, startled by feeling another person's skin on his own. His heart was racing uncomfortably.

"Sorry, yeah." Deidara offered and went back to watching Kisame and Hanna. They were racing now. Hanna was doing fairly well. Deidara was startled and looked down to his hand to see Sasori had rested his hand next to Deidara's again, letting the fingers touch.

"It's fine."

"Everywhere I go, bitches always know, that Charlie Scene has got a weenie that he loves to show."

"What the fuck is that?" Hidan asked, looking at the small square thing that was buzzing and playing that music.

"Will it stop on its own?" Itachi asked.

"It stopped a few minutes ago but started up again." Kakuzu told him. "I think it's Lily's."Kakuzu said and tossed it to the Uchia. He caught it easily and got the message. They wanted him to give it to Lily. He turned and made his way up the steps. It felt weird vibrating in his hands and suddenly it stopped. He stopped walking down the hall and looked at it. He waited.

"Everywhere I go, bitches always know-" He almost dropped it when it started buzzing again. He sighed as the loud music played in his hands.

"I choose to feel blessed, I choose to feel grateful." Lily said to herself as she poured some water into the plants that hung above her desk. She had two Eucalyptus plants in their little baskets and the plants hung low. She smiled at them and turned around. She sat on her wooden desk and looked at her room, her sanctuary. She let the natural light fill up her room and she opened the window. There was a cool breeze that shifted the thin cream curtains.

Her bed was a matress that was pushed against a wall. It had a thick, crisp off white comforter and pillows that were soft blue, pale green, and cream. Above it was a tapestry with the zodiacs and solarsystem on a dark blue fabric. There was a marroon woven throw blanket that rested on the bed and complimented the maroon rug on the wooden floor. She had hung up more tapestries of light sot colors mixed with rich deep colors. They were on her walls and her ceiling. At night, small lights would lihten up and some of them wavered like stars. On the same side as her bed, there was a book shelf that was stuffed with books and papers and little trinkets. Her closet was on the other side and next to that was a dresser with more trinkets and some jewelry but in the middle of it was incense burning. She had a small glass ornament with those little plants in it. On her desk was her homework, some books, and her laptop. She grabbed her incense from the dresser and set it on a small table that was next to the book case. It was actually a small crate with a maroon tapesty over it. She put the incense there next to the small buddah statue she had for medicine and healing. She sat ont eh small area or throw rugs and pillows and sat to mediate. Her laptop sat on her desk, playing her mediation playlist.

It had songs from Metallica, Rob Zombie, and a few others like that. It contrasted sharply with the rest of her room, and it made it perfect. She sat and started to breathe. Breathe in, breathe out.

The last week had been hectic and ast and she hadn't had any time to take care of herself. And then the Akatsuki invaded her house and everything was so loud and she was feeling unbalanced. She needed to recenter herself.

She turned her head to the door when someone knocked gently. She wondered who would be polite enough to knock.

"It's unlocked." She said. Itachi opened the door and found her sitting on the floor in the meditating position. Her teal hair was pulled into a French braid and her face was clear of makeup. She had a black piece of ribbon around her neck and wore a black shirt that had black eyes susans all over it. She wore denim shorts that were highwaisted and her shirt was a crop top. He could see part of a tattoo on her back and wondered what it was. He could see the one on her thigh clearly. It had vibrant colors. The thorns were a deep green that twisted around in a circle with a few deep red roses. He could see her dark brown roots growing in at her scalp. He could smell the incense and moist dirt.

After entering her room, he couldn't help but feet at ease and his muscles relaxed slightly. The thing in his hand buzzed again and brought him back to reality. Lily stood and moved to her laptop, silencing the music. She let her hand rest open and he handed her the item. She pressed a button.

"You have reached Hanna Brien's phone. May I ask who is calling?" She asked calmly and turned around to face the window. She could see dark clouds moving slowly towards them. Jo should be back to drop off Konan and take Itachi. Hopefully she wouldn't stop for Mcdonald's with her. "I'll grab her, just one second." She said and put the man on hold. "I'll be right back." Lily said and left itachi in her room.

"Hanna!" Lily called out from the back patio. Hanna looked at Lily and saw the phone in her hand. She fell backwards off Kisame's shoulders (they had been fighting Hidan and Deidara during a round of chicken) and swam to the edge. She grabbed the phone from Lily after wrapping a towel around her.

Lily left her to it and went back inside. She smiled at Konan who was making tea. Konan smiled back and Lily kept walking. Apparently, Jo was back.

"Lily, where's Itachi, I want to get done teaching them before the storm hits." Jo said as she wlaked into the kitchen.

"Up stairs, I'll grab him." She said. "Do you think it'll hit hard?"

"Nah, I just don't want to make them drive in the rain." Jo waved her off. "How's Tobi been?"

"Hidan knocked him out right after you left." Lily laughed softly. Jo looked up and waved her hand as if fanning herself.

"Good lord I love that man." She joked and Lily quirked an eyebrow, seeing Hidan had walked up right behind her. Jo started when Hidan smacked her ass loudly.

"That so?" He asked with a wolfish grin. Jo just smirked and leaned her hand back. Lily shook her head and walked away. She needed to hunt down Itachi.

"Jo!" Hanna called as she walked in. "Jo, head's up, the tropical storm is a hurricane. Apparently it got bumped up to a three. They expect it to be a four when it hits." Jo just nodded. "They want me ready to go. I'm going to be on the traveling team."

"What?" Jo whined.

"The fuck does that mean?" Hidan asked. Jo sighed and smacked her forhead.

"She's ditching us for who knows how long." Jo said. "Just…. Stay safe, ok?" Hanna gave a thumbs up.

"Will do." She said. "Gonna go pack so I'm ready when they call."

"You do you, babe." Jo waved her off. Itachi stepped into the room. She smiled at him. "Ready to go?" He nodded and she hooked her arm in his and escorted him out of the house and into the car. "Good, 'cause you and I need to have a little chat." She told him quietly, and even though it was hot out, he felt chills. These girls didn't seem like much, but something in the back of his head told him to be careful.

Jo instructed him and they were driving. He got the hang of it pretty quickly, just as Konan and Pein had. It was odd, it was like they already new how to drive. Just made her job easier. They had been driving or a while with just her instructing him. At one point, she did what she did with the other two, just let him drive.

"You wanted to speak to me?" He asked.

"Oh yeah." Jo mumbled. "I noticed you a Lily are getting kinda close." She pointed out.

"Hn."

"Just…if you have plans with her, be up front and clear." Jo stated. "That's all I ask. If you want just someone to bone, tell her. If you want a relationship, tell her. Don't…. just for the love of god, don't mess with her head."

"I don't understand." He said.

"Nevermind." Jo waved off. "Just be honest with her. If she asks you a question, tell her the truth. She can handle that." Itachi nodded, but was still confused.

"Last night, you called her an addict." He stated. "I was under the impression she was no longer involved with the substance called heroine."

"Oh she doesn't use it anymore," Jo explained, "but when you are an addict, you never lose that. You have to go through every day fighting that craving." Itachi frowned slightly. "It's extremely difficult, especially at the beginning. But it gets easier eventually." Jo paused and looked out the window. "NAd then during times of extreme stress or an extreme emotion such as loss or grief, sometimes people can relapse." She looked at him and saw him confused. "It means start using again. They regress to using a drug as a coping mechanism. Then they have to start all over again."

"That is why you wish me to be clear with my intentions." Itachi put it together. "You are afraid I will cause her to relapse."

"It's always a possibility." Jo admitted. "I just want to help when I can."

"I am not interested in a romantic situation." He told her. Jo laughed loudly and kicked the dashboard. She slapped her knee and Itachi glanced at her, frowning.

"Oh, boy, you say that now." She said and wiped her eyes. "I see how you look at her." She chuckled and patted his arm. "Alright, let's get back. We've been out for over an hour and I think that storm's almost here." Itachi nodded and drove back to the house under Jo's direction.

"Hanna! Is food ready?" Jo asked as she walked into the house.

"Why do I always have to cook?" Hanna asked from her seat on the couch.

"Because I'll burn down the house and Lily is too lazy." Jo answered and moved to her chair that Hidan was occupying. "Move, big boy." He glared at her before grinning.

"Fucking make me." He told her. She smirked and turned around before sitting on his lap. She thought she won but was pleasantly surprised when he wrapped his arms around her waist. She smirked and leaned back, this was fine. Hanna rolled her eyes.

"Lily's not here, by the way." Hanna told her. "She had to run to the school. She and a bunch of other students almost passed the exam so the teacher is having them make it up. Apparently, he really wants them to pass."

"Hope she studied." Jo mumbled. "When did she leave?"

"Lily left about two minutes ago, yeah." Deidara offered from the floor. "How long will the exam take?"

"Probably at least an hour." Hanna told him. "Konan's cooking with Sasori, by the way." They all sat there, watching various tv shows and just talking. Jo and hanna talked about the driving skills of the three akatsuki and was explaining things to the group like some storms they could see, what hanna does, what Jo does for work, and some other shit, like stuff on the internet.

Konan and sasori told them dinner was ready and they all piled into the kitchen, stealing food. Some asked where Lily was and got the answer that she was taking a test. But as the hours passed, Hanna and Jo gave each other concerned looks. Around ten, Hanna was pacing as Jo called Lily's phone. This was the fifth time and she wasn't picking up.

"Do you think she's ok, un?" Deidara asked Sasori. He shrugged.

"I'm sure the bitch is fine." Hidan said and lifted his leg, giving Jo a bump.

"Where could she have gone?" Konan asked. "It's pretty late out."

"But it's a Saturday." Jo told them and tried again. Then her and Hanna froze. Hidan frowned and bounced his leg again and Jo smiled. "Hanna, I think I know where she went." Her phone started to ring and she answered it. "It's Lily." She said and put her on speaker. "Babe, where are you?"

"Staaaahhhp, sthap callim meh." She slurred over the pphone. "Sh! Someone shush the- the soundy thingy, I'm on the phone." She shouted ot someone. The whole living room could hear loud music and cheering. She was intoxicated. "Babes, my darlings, I passed. WE all fucking yeah that test."

"Lily, sweet heart, where are you?" Hanna had stepped over the table and was talking into the phone.

"I'm gettin' fuckin' wrecked!" She shouted and they heard her cheer. Then she hung up. Hanna sighed and Jo laughed.

"See, we were worried about nothing." Jo told hanna.

"Where is she?" Konan asked.

"Out at a club." Jo answered. "She's celebrating." Hanna sat on the floor and started to pout.

"She's celebrating without me." She mumbled.

"Can't you go join her?" Kisame asked.

"I'm not leaving Jo alone with ALL of you." Hanna said and stuck her tongue out. "I'm not that mean." She said.

"Take some of the Akatsuki with you." Jo suggested, "We need to get them used to being in public." Hanna's face lit up and before long, she had crammed Kisame, Itachi (she had to take one of them incase she drank, too. Jo knew she would), Deidara, and Sasori in her car. Tobi was asleep and Kakuzu needed a break from Hidan. Hanna had them dressed up but not too dressy, mostly in jeans or Khakis and button up shirts, but Deidara and Hidan were wearing graphic shirts.

Their first impression was that the place was loud and the flashing lights were really distracting. They couldn't hear hanna so she grabbed Kisame's hand, who tapped Itachi's shoulder, her elbowed Sasori, who grabbed Deidara who whacked Hidan. They all followed her to a flight of steps and went upstairs to a second level. It was another dancing area. Hanna got Kisame and Itachi's attention and pointed at Lily. They found her.

Lily was dancing on the bar with a few other girls, just having a blast. Her hair was down and she was dancing very hard. It was lewd and very provactive but, Itachi couldn't stop watching her move. The way she moved her hips and stomach was alluring. Kisame noticed and grinned. He shared a look with Hanna.


	9. Chapter 9

"Are you sure, they're alright?" Konan asked. Jo nodded with a smile. It was past midnight by now and they hadn't heard from them, but that wasn't unusual for Hanna and Lily.

"Would it make you feel better if I went?" Jo asked.

"Would you mind leaving us alone in the house?" Pein asked. Jo looked around and shrugged.

"All the troublemakers are gone, so yeah." She answered. "I can go, but I probably won't be back until two or three at the latest." Jo explained. "It's like hearding cats."

"Good luck getting Hidan back." Kakuzu mumbled. "He's a terrible drunk." Jo smirked as she grabbed her keys.

"I have my ways." She said and opened the doors. "Night guys, feel free to go to bed if you want. I'll be back in a few hours." She left and made it to the car before turning around. She opened the door and stuck her head in. "Actually, can I get Konan and Pein to come with me? I need someone to help drive everyone back."

Pein looked around and didn't make any expressions to say he liked or disliked it. Konan looked around with a small smile and welcomed men and women trying to dance with her. She liked it even more when Pein grabbed her hand and pulled her after Jo. She had to say, she was glad Jo had put her in the outfit she was in. She was in a short blue halter dress and matching heels. Pein was in a white button up and some baggy jeans that had a hole on one knee. And konan noticed he kept eyeing her up an down.

They found Kisame and Itachi easily. They were near the bar and Kisame had a beer and they were watching two women on the bar. At closer inspection, it was Lily and hanna. Some how, gliter had been intoruced and Hanna and Lily danced and grinded on stage.

"Where are the others?" Jo asked Itachi. He didn't respond. She tugged on his shirt and he looked down at her. She smirked at him and she swore he blushed. "We are missing some people." She stated. Kisame looked past her and grinned. Someone came up behind her and grabbed her waist roughly and she could feel him press against her. She looked up. It was Hidan, and she smirked at him. She could smell the alcohol.

"I'll go find Sasori and Deidara." Konan offered. She walked away into the crowd and Pein followed her, eyes on her ass the whole way. She tried to make her way across the dance floor but struggled. She was forced backwards and into Pein's chest. He let his hands rest on her hips and she smiled up at him. The crowd pushed and shoved and before long, the two were dancing. Well, Konan was dancing and Pein was following her lead.

Pein couldn't help but enjoy it. He was so close to her, he could feel her pressed up against him and he offered a small smile as she looked up at him seductively. She turned away from him and mimicked what many others were doing. Pein smirked and held her closer. He was surpised at how easy it was to just let go here, and relax, and get lost in the odd music.

After a while, they had made it across the dance floor, but their original goal was forgotten. After they got across the floor, they turned a corner to a darker hall, where the flashing lights could barely reach. Pein had her pinned against the wall and Konan let out a quiet giggle and she wrapped her legs around him, using the wall to keep them propped up. Pein kissed her hard and she could feel him against her. She moved against him and he dropped down to kiss her neck. Konan smiled and let her head fall back. But then she caught something out of the corner of her eye. Across the hall, and down a little, there was another couple. They almost looked familiar. Konan looked and waited for her eyes to adjust. She gasped, and it wasn't cause by Pein. He could tell, and straightened up. He looked over his shoulder and furrowed his eyebrows. Then his eyes widened in realization.

The couple across from them stared in complete shock. None of them moved. How does one react in this situation.

"Shit, un." Deidara mumbled and removed his legs from Sasori's waist, standing up on his own. Sasori still had him pinned against the wall, so he couldn't go too far. "Yeah, um, we'll just be going, yeah."Deidara mumbled and tried to move, but Sasori didn't let him.

"We were here first." He pointed out. Konan unwrapped her legs and giggled. She nodded at the two men and left the hallway. Pein stayed behind and met Sasori's gaze.

"Jo brought us here." He explained. Sasori nodded at him and Deidara didn't quite know what to do. Pein nodded at them and left. Deidara, a little intoxicated, laughed to himself. Sasori, a bit buzzed himself, rested his head on Deidara's shoulder.

"I don't know about you, Dana," He grinned, "but that ruined the mood for me, yeah." He teased. Sasori pressed against him and Deidara chuckled before gasping at Sasori's nipping.

"Fuck." Jo slurred and whipped her mouth. "Shit. I am so glad I thought ahead." She slammed her empty glass on the bar and Hidan barked out a laugh and pat her back. Hanna refused to get off the bar unless Jo beat her in a drinking contest. Unsuprisingly, Jo won. Hanna sat on her bum and Kisame helped her down. She lost her footing, but held onto the tall man, giggling. Now it was Lily's turn. "Lily," Jo slurred and reached out, trying to grab her. "Lily, no."

"Lily, yes." Lily replied and grabbed Jo's hand. The teal woman pulled Jo up. "Is our song, babe." She slurred and laughed as Jo was pulled onto the bar. "It's our house! Baby, it's our house." She shouted and started dancing again, flipping her hair and moving her hips to the music as she helped Jo up. Jo, forgetting what she was doing, started dancing, too.

Jo was bent in half, in a 90 degree angle and rubbing her ass into Lily's hips. Someone started throwing money. Hanna, noticing, started grabbing it off the bar and stuing it in her pocket. She gave Jo a highfive as one song blended into another.

"Should we be worried about her?" Kisame asked, elbowing Itachi and looking at Lily. She was swaying and spinning and chugging a bottle of something.

"Hn."

"What?" Kisame asked. "I can't hear you!" He had to shout over the music. Lily was dancing rather provatacively over some young men who were hooting and hollering. "You jealous?" He shouted and pointed at her. Itachi gave him a look that he was confused. Why should he care what she does with other men? His ears perked up at the new song that was coming on. It was familiar. Once the lyrics started, he recognized it. HE had heard Lily and Hanna sing it the other night. Something about a rude boy, by some singer, what was her name? It started with an R.

"Come here rude, boy, boy, can you get it up? Come here rude boy, boy is you big enough?"

Jo was on the bar, singing along, and perfectly drunk. She was smirking and confident, and she could finally feel herself relax and enjoy. Jo felt playful, in fact, she felt devious. She spied her target and smirked. Jo sang along with the song and beckoned to a certain man she spied in the crowd. She recognized him by his devilish grin and silver hair.

Jo wasn't sure what happened to Hidan, but he seemed down to play. He didn't shy away from her adnvances, he didn't push her away, he didn't get flustered. It just made it more interesting for Jo.

The ground vibrated under Lily's feet and the music was so loud it shook her bones and nearly deafened her. The lights flashed and almost blinded her. A huge grin was on her face and her heart was racing as her head spun. She saw faces, familiar and stangers, swimming and she felt her head bob. Lily struggled to see but couldn't help but laugh as she spun on her heel on the bar. She felt wind rushing around her. _Who opened a window?_ She laughed and rested her hands on her stomach and relaxed.

Kisame roared in laughter as Lily disappeared behind the bar. He leaned over next to Itachi, who had also taken it upon himself to peer over the bar, seeing if she was alright. Lily was sprawled out and had knocked a few bottles off the counter a she fell.

Before long, Hanna, Jo, and Konan had dragged Lily to the women's bathroom. Lily was sitting on the counter, leaning against the mirror as Konan dabbed her face with a cool cloth. Hanna helped keep her upright.

"She is trashed." Hanna chuckled and Lily moaned. Konan giggled. "God, When was the last time she was this far gone?"

"New Years," Jo mumbled and rubbed her face. The bathroom was bright. "I think? Christ, I am not gonna drive." She slurred as she swayed. "Fuck you, Hanna."

"What did I do?" Hanna aked, genuinely curious.

"You wouldn't get off the bar until Jo out drank you." Konan explained to her. Hanna sniffed and clung to Konan, making her smile.

"This I swhy I love you, man." She sniffed. "You get me." She said as she hung onto Konan's waist.

"Turn loose, Hanna." Jo laughed. "I think it's time we bow out. We don't want another Saint Patty's Day."

"Yikes." Hanna said. "Go get the rest of them," Hanna suggested. "We'll meet you out at the cars." Hanna raised her hand and Jo high fived her, like tagging out. Jo looked at the dance floor.

"The fuck happened to you guys?" Hidan asked and Jo turned to see him leaning against the wall. She smirked.

"You worried about me?" Jo teased. Before he could answer, Jo pulled him closer. "We gotta go, big boy. It's time to head out. Bar's about to close and we outta get gone. Help me get the rest o' this….gang." Hidan smirked and moved closer.

"Why the hell should I help you, bitch?" He asked her. Jo smirked and crooked a finger to beckon him closer. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in. She stood on her tip toes and bit his ear sharply before planting a couple of kisses on his neck. She released him and shoved him before going off to find the rest of the gang. With Hidan's help, they all ended up staggering to the cars that were waiting for them. And It was up to Pein, Konan, and Itachi to drive, and thankfully, they were sober.


	10. Chapter 10

Kiss 10

Thanks for reviewing, keep 'em coming! Here is the next chapter. Sorry the other was so short.

Lily grunted and slowly tried to open her eyes. She could see red and blue lights flashing behind her closed eyes. She frowned. Why were there cops?

Wait, there were more red than blue. Ambulance was here. Why was there an ambulance?

Lily jolted when someone gently grabbed her arms and started to pull her. She felt herself fall and blinked as she opened her eyes. There was glass everywhere and blood mixed with the rain. It had been raining since she left for her exam. The road was slick and she was pulled through a muddy puddle. sHe looked up and saw the frame of her truck. It was trashed. Was there a wreck? There must have been. Who the hell was driving her truck?

Whoever was pulling on her tugged on her but she wouldn't go any further. She could feel her foot stuck on the steering wheel. She grunted, trying to talk, but her head hurt.

She didn't remember driving. She looked up and squinted through the rain to see a familiar face. It was David. Why was he looking at her like that? He looked so disappointed, why was he disappointed? She looked at her truck, she was in the driver seat. Why was she in the driver's seat?

Her thoughts stopped when she saw the ambulance light reflect off her _wrecked_ truck. In the passenger seat, a man was bent over onto the dashboard, facing away from her, but she could see the glass in his head, and blood soaking his long black hair. She could feel her breath catch in her throat. She glanced behind the driver's seat and instantly wished she hadn't. The back half of her truck was crushed and the person sitting behind her was definitely dead. There was no way they were alive. Jo was crushed and all she could see was her arm hanging limply. Lily's stomach dropped. Jo….Jo was dead. There was someone else in the back seat with her, and Lily couldn't see who was back there, or how many people were back there. But she could see blood. It was still raining.

Lily rolled her head to the side as David started pulling her away from the truck again and she saw someone on the hood of her truck, pinned between the truck and some debris. Their face was string right at her. Lily could see Hanna's lifeless eyes and her face was covered in glass and blood. Hanna had gone through the windshield. Hanna was dead.

Was she driving? Why was she driving? Lily felt her stomach lurch. She killed them. She killed them all and she didn't even remember. How could she? Why was she still living?

"Lily, come on." David told her gently. He sounded so tired. "Watch your head." He told her as he guided her into the back of the cop car. He looked at her and she just blinked at him. What does she say? Her stomach rolled. She couldn't tke it. She couldn't process what happened. He shook his head and closed the door.

Lily jolted at the echoing sound of the car door being shut. Lily's eyes shot open as she sat up. Her fingers dug into something. On one side, it was her bed, and the other, it was someone's shirt. Her stomach lurched. Lily shot up and out her door.

Itachi sat up slowly, being startled by Lily jolting out of bed and scratching him as she woke up. He stared at the door and watched as the small light from the bathroom illuminated the hall. He stood and made his way down the hall towards the bathroom. He could her retching. Itachi walked down the hall quietly as to not disturb the others, although, he was fairly sure an earthquake wouldn't wake them at this point.

Lily had been trying to retch quietly, but was failing. It was hard to stay quiet when a demon was trying to rip your stomach up and out through your mouth. When he pushed open the door, he found her over the toilet. He expected to see her vomiting. He didn't expect to see the panic on her face. He frowned and knelt beside her. Itachi rested a hand on her back and she flinched, but let him. He rubbed her back and moved some hair away from her face.

It took a little while, but she stopped vomiting. She flushed the toilet and closed the lid before falling on her butt. Itachi kept her propped up and looked at her, concerned. Lily was shaking and terrified. She breathed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Lily looked up at Itachi and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. She looked so relieved and looked up at him with a tearful smile. She reached up a shaky hand and gently touched his face. Itachi fought the urge to flinch, but Lily didn't notice.

Itachi let his eyes close at the gentle touch before opening his eyes and looking at Lily. She rubbed her eyes again with her other hand. Why was she so relieved to see him?

"You're alive." She mumbled. Itachi quirked an eyebrow. "You're ok." She mumbled. She shook and gripped onto his shirt, starting to panic again. "Hanna. Jo. Where are they? Are they ok?" She whispered. Itachi nodded.

"They are asleep." He told her. Lily breathed and relaxed. She leaned against him, only barely aware that she was invading the Uchia's space. Itachi looked down at her. She must have had a nightmare. He picked her up gently and carried her out of the bathroom. He shut off the light and noticed Lily was gripping tightly onto his shirt again.

When they had arrived home, he was in the same situation. She had attatched onto him and refused to let go when he tried to put her on her bed. Seeing no other option, he lay next to her. He did so again this time, but let one arm rest over her in a comforting manner. Lily was out cold again. He couldn't help but smile at her. She was a funny girl.

She had surrounded herself with so much color. Her hair, her clothes, her room, all colorful. He asked her about it, and he was entertained by her answer. _Sometimes life gets pretty dark. It's nice to have something happy once in a while._ He brushed some of her teal hair back. Such a funny girl. All three of them were, in their own way. Hanna was always bright and excited about everything. She was like a breath of fresh air. Jo was grumpier but still had a good head on her shoulders. He assumed she was unhappy they were all cramped in her house. Jo still had a twisted sense of humor and could render Hidan speechless. Itachi and several others were grateful for that. Lily was more deadpanned than the others, and she was blunt as hell. Although, the three of them could be blunt on their own.

Itachi reflected back on when they had arrived back at the house. Lily was passed out then as well and clinging to him. Hanna and Kisame crashed on the couch, Hanna barely making it through the door. She had tripped and brought Kisame down on top of her,both giggling. Both had plenty to drink. Pein had shaken his head and Konan followed him upstairs after bidding the others goodnight. Both were tired and done with the morning, and looking forward to sleeping in. Gettign out of the club was harder than they thought it would be.

Konan gave a blushing Deidara a wink as they passed in the hall. Deidara looked absolutely panicked but Konan shook her head and kept walking, smiling to herself. Sasori walked past him and gave him a gentle shove. Deidara looked at him, belwildered. Sasori just gave him a smirk over his shoulder and kept walking. Itatchi wasn't surprised about the two. Deidara had been following Ssori around with heart eyes since day one.

Then Itachi thought of her other friend, Jo, and Hidan. They were safe at home as well. Or, as safe as anyone could be with Hidan.

The moment her room door was shut, Jo Jumped up and wrapped her legs around Hidan just as he pinned her roughly against it and crammed his tongue down her throat. Jo grabbed his hair and pulled roughly as his hands grabbed her ass. She moaned into his mouth and he stepped back away from the door and staggered, still drunk himself. As he did, Jo released his hair and grabbed the hem of her shirt and tugged. She was shirtless in seconds and tossed it on the ground before going back to kissing him, but Hidan had other ideas. Before she could start to kiss him again, he attacked her neck viciously. He bit her hard and sent her head back, groaning and Hidan staggered and the two knocked into her dresser. Jo let out a mumbled grunt and grabbed onto his hair again and moved against his chest.

She started pulling open his shirt and she heard buttons pop off. Jo struggled to get the shirt off, it got stuck on his arms, since they were wrapped around her, keeping her up.

Hidan turned and dropped them both onto the mattress and she let out and oof before fighting to get his shirt off. He chuckled at her.

"Someone's excited." He commented and sat up to take his shirt off. He dropped himself back on top of Jo and kissed her again, biting her lip and moving to her neck and collar bone. Hidan ran his hands down her sides and she moved against him, gasping as her heart beat rapidly. She wrapped her arms around him and dragged her nails across his skin as he bit down on her neck hard enough to draw blood and kissed her collarbone. Jo tightened her legs and used her weight to flip Hidan onto his back. Her hands went to the zipper on his pants and she grinned at him impishly as the two struggled to get his pants off. Jo giggled at their lack of coordination and Hidan couldn't help but chuckle as she climbed back on top of him and straddled him. She kissed him and his hands roamed over her skin, making her practically purr against his lips. His hand moved up her back and removed her bra like an expert.

"That was fast." She commented and tossed it to the side. Hidan buried himself in her chest and she rolled her eyes. "Fucking animal." She mumbled. Hidan lay back and grinned at her deviously.

"you know you fucking like it." He pointed out and thrust his hips, making her grunt before dipping back down and kissing him. Her hair fell over her shoulder and onto Hidan. He reached a hand up and brushed the hair back and Jo was started at how gentle his hand could be as it ran through her hair, brushing it back over her shoulder. "The fuck you lookin' at?" He asked her. Jo shook her head and kissed him again. She moved on top of him.

Hidan responded and let his hand graze down her upper back but he wasn't able to focus on her. His hand had found something on her back that caught his attention. _The fuck is this?_ Jo hissed.

"The hell is this?" Hidan grunted. Jo kept kissing him.

"Ignore it." She mumbled and started trailing down his neck, but Jo hissed again when he pressed down.

"There's fucking blood." He told her. Jo practically growled as she grabbed his wrists and pinned his arms above his head.

"I swear to God," She threatened. "If you don't drop it, this aint gonna happen, and you'll sleep in the fucking dirt." She stared at him and he met her gaze before shrugging. Whatever, if she wasn't concerned, neither was he. Jo dipped down and kissed him again. Hidan rolled them to get on top of her, making her laugh quietly, and went to town.

 _Buzz buzz….buzz buzz buzz….buzz buzz buzz_

"Hm?" Hanna hummed and turned her face. sHe rubbed her eyes and squinted. She reached around, trying to find her phone. She grabbed it and snapped it open. "Hanna Bennet." She answered. The voice on the ohone spoke to her and she scowled. "What? Shit. Fine, you guys sure you don't need help?" There was pause. "Oh thank god. Peace!" She said and hung up. Hanna placed her face back down on the pillow, trying to burry away from life and responsibilities. Her pillow chuckled and a hand rested on her head. She hummed.

Kisame smiled down at the woman on his chest and ran his hand through her knotted hair and looked up. Zetsu was standing there with a cup of coffee. He was standing there and not doing anything. Just staring.

"Sup?" Kisame asked, looking up at his coworker. Zetsu shrugged. Kisame rubbed his face and yawned. "What time is it?"

"About ten." He told Kisame. "Sasori and Konan are making breakfast." He sipped his coffee and walked away. Kisame started poking Hanna.

"You up?" He asked. She mumbled into his chest. "What?"

"No." She told him and glared. "I don't wanna deal with today." She said and put her face back on his chest.

"Well, I'm hung over, and I'm pretty sure you are, too." He said and shifted. "Time to get up." She groaned and rolled off of him, hitting the floor. "That works, too." He chuckled as he sat up and ruffled her hair. She sat on the floor and rested her face on the table.

"What's wrong with you, yeah?" Deidara asked as he walked into the living room and sat on the couch behind her.

"Is it raining?" Hanna asked. Deidara looked at the window. It was dark grey outside and raining.

"Mhm." He informed her and she groaned. "What?"

"That damn storm is gonna hit us." Hanna said. "It's up to a category 4."

"Is that bad, un?" Deidara asked. Hanna looked at him sadly.

"Well, it's not good." She said and pulled herself up. "Is Jo up yet?"

"She's not in there, if that's any help." Kakuzu told her as he joined them in the living room. Hanna sighed.

"Is Lily up yet?" Hanna asked. "Or is she still throwing up?"

"I think she still has Itachi trapped in her room with her." Deidara said with a devious smirk. Hanna grimaced. Poor man.

"Yikes." She mumbled. "I'll go check on him, see if he needs food. I should probably wake up Jo."

"Why?" Kisame asked he came back to the room with two plates of food. He sat next to Dediara on the couch and offered Hanna the plate. She shook her head.

"I'll eat it after I wake up Jo." Hanna said and stretched. "We gotta get ready for the hurricane to hit. The eye is gonna get close to us."

"The eye of the storm?" Deidara asked, "That's bad, yeah?"

"Well," She shrugged. "It's not great." She huffed and started up the steps. Should she check on Lily or Jo first? Hanna stopped in front of Lily's door. Lily it is. Hanna knocked gently on the door. When she didn't get an answer, she quietly opened the door and poked her head in. She was about to speak but thought better of it. Hanna smiled at the sight of her friend.

Lily was on the edge of the bed not against the bed, and she was facing away from the wall. Her blue hair was a rat's nest. One arm was under her head and the other was stretched out in front of her and the sheet was tangled around her legs and torso and Lily was snoring softly. Lily's back was pressed against Itachi's back. Itachi was in a similar postion, just not as sprawled out. His arm was under his head and the other was angled in front of him and he faced the wall. They were only touching backs, but the two were asleep and relaxed and it was the most adorable thing ever. Hanna smiled and quietly closed the door. At least she wasn't throwing up yet.

Hanna knocked on Jo's door softly before popping her head in. She shot an eyebrow up and smirked. Jo was asleep still and had the sheet tucked up under her arm. She was covered, but hanna could see she didn't have any clothes on. Hanna stepped into the room and looked around. She could see her clothes had been tossed around.

"Looks like someone had a fun night." Hanna said as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. Jo hummed and waved at her, acknowledging her existence. "Jo, we gotta talk."

"Who I screw is none of your business." Jo mumbled. Hanna snorted.

"Girl, when have I ever cared who you slept with?" Hanna said as she stood in front of Jo's bed. Jo rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. She was about to relax when she heard Hanna's startled gasp. "Jesus Chirst, Jo, what the hell happened?" Hanna asked as she got onto the mattress and reached a hand out to Jo's back. There were several rather large lacerations on her back shoulder. They looked fairly new and there was actually some blood smeared on her back. Jo rolled to keep her back from Hanna. She gave her a small, tried glare.

"What do you want, hanna?" Jo asked and rubbed her face.

"An explanation." Hanna told her as she sat on the bed. "Jo, when did this happen? What happened? Was it Brian?"

"Hanna, drop it, I'm fine." Jo said. "What did you come here for?" She asked and looked at her friend, willing her to move on from the subject. Hanna sighed.

"The storm was bumped up to a category 4 this morning." She explained. "It looks like it might hit us."

"Dead on?" Hanna waved.

"Nah, the eye is gonna miss us, but just barely." Hanna explained. "They are talking about a possible evacuation, too, but that's just the media. No officals have said anything yet."

"Shit." Jo grumbled. "We should board up the windows. Maybe start bringing things from the basement into the attic. When's it gonna hit?"

"Not until late tomorrow or the day after at the earliest." Hanna told her. Jo nodded and waved at her.

"Fine." Jo mumbled. "We should do that. Gimme a few minutes, ok?" Jo said and she rolled back over. Hanna chucked before looking at Jo's shoulder again. She knew better than to pry any further so she just had to let it go. For now. Hanna stood and left Jo's room. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, sighing.

Jo was strong, she had no doubt about that, but there's only so much one person could handle. She thought Brian had been out of the picture for a while now. Maybe there was another explanation. Hanna couldn't think of anything to explain that.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Hidan asked, seeing Hanna looking rather gloomy. She blinked and offered him a small smile.

"Just tired is all." She told him. Hidan was shirtless and had a towel around his shoulders and his hair was damp, but still combed back. He had been in the shower. "I might need your help later to get some stuff from the basement to the attic. If I get a bunch of you guys helping, it'll go quicker."

"Why the fuck are we moving shit to the attic?" He asked.

"That big storm is heading our way." She explained. "If it floods, I don't want the stuff downstairs getting wrecked."

"Those pictures you showed us looked like if it floods, everything's fucking gone." He pointed out. "What makes you think moving it's gonna save it?" He asked. Hanna offered a smile.

"It won't." She admitted. "I just on't like sitting around wating. I gotta feel busy."

"Then why the hell you draggin' us into it?" Hidan asked.

"Well, if it is minor flooding, then only the basement will be damaged if we're lucky." She told him, shrugging. "Might as well move it just in case." Hidan rolled his eyes. "Breakfast is ready if you want any." She told him and stepped out of the way so Hidan could go back into Jo's room.

"I'll be down. Gimme a minute. And don't let Kisame eat all the fucking food." Hidan told her. Hanna laughed. Hidan put a hand on the doorknob and was about to go in, but Hanna spoke again.

"Hidan?" She asked quietly. He stopped, almost startled by how quiet and shy she was. He frowned and looked at her. They could hear the rain outside as the wind picked up. Hanna struggled to find what she wanted to say. Should she involve him? Just because Jo slept with him, doesn't mean they are close. "Do you care about her?"

"The hell kind of question is that?" He asked. Hanna waved him off.

"Forget it." She mumbled. "Just, um, you saw her back right?" Hidan looked at her, uncharacteristically serious. He nodded.

"Yeah." He told her. "What the hell happened? You guys don't seem to have any reason to have injuries like that here." Hanna blinked. He was perceptive. She nodded.

"I don't know." She admitted. "Jo won't talk about it. And I guess that's her business. Just don't pry, but can you make sure she treats it? I don't want her getting it infected."

"The fuck do I look like, a nurse?" He asked gruffly. Hanna sighed and Hidan crossed his arms. "Whatever, I'll make sure the bitch takes care of it." He grunted. Hanna smiled at him. He was about to open the door when hanna spoke again.

"Thank you, Hidan." She told him and turned on her heel to head downstairs. Hidan watched her go before running his hand through his hair. He sighed and opened the door. He closed it behind him as he entered the room and saw Jo still in bed, facing away from him. He smirked at her. She rolled her head to see who it was and she had a grumpy pout on her face. He walked over to her and Jo rolled onto her back. Hidan lowered himself on top of her, propping himself up on his elbows. Jo smirked back at him.

"Mornin'" She mumbled before yawing. She cover her mouth before lazily wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Hidan kissed her neck lazily and he could feel her laughing quietly. He had dropped the towel on the floor and was still shirtless. He lowered himself so the only thing separating them was the sheet.

Jo hummed and ran a hand through Hidan's hair as he kissed her neck, collar, and chest. One of his hands slowly, almost teasingly, moved up her side and onto her chest. He gave a squeeze and Jo responded by arching her back slightly, pressing her closer to him. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of someone being on top of her. There was just something comforting about having a very attractive man ontop of her. Although it probably had more to do with the slight pressure of someone else rather than how attractive the person was. Good looks was just a bonus.

Both froze when they heard a violent wretching coming from down the hall. Jo smiled and shook her head.

"Lily's up." She explained.

"Sounds like the bitch is dying." He mumbled and Jo chuckled under him. They waited and heard no more vomiting.

"She's fine." Jo told him and kissed him, getting his attention again. "Pay attention to me." She practically whined teasingly. Hidan smirked and kissed her back. Jo smiled into it until a very loud clap of thunder shook the house. Jo was startled and jolted slightly, her eyes popping wide open. She froze, but Hidan didn't notice. Jo could feel her heart racing a million miles an hour and she couldn't breathe, and it had nothing to do with Hidan kissing her neck again. Another loud clap of thunder startled her and she dug her nails into Hidan. He physically winced but ignored it. It was nothing worse than what she did last night. She tried to move her mouth to speak but she couldn't. Jo mouthed his name. Nothing came out. She was shaking now, she couldn't breathe. "Hidan." She whispered. "Hidan move." She could barely hear her own voice, how could she expect him to hear her. She pulled on his hair a bit, trying to get his attention and she was struggling underneath him. "Stop." She whispered a bit louder. Hidan heard her and rested on his elbows, confused. Jo continued to struggle. "Up, get off." She said a bit more forcefully.

"What?" Hidan asked confused as she struggled against him, trying to get away. Hidan sat up on his knees. Jo scooted out from under him.

"Off, get off." She huffed as she backed up and sat against the wall, covering herself with the sheet. She held a hand out to prevent him from coming closer, if he moved. Hidan frowned on her. What the hell? She looked borderline terrified. A loud clap of thunder startled her and she ran her hands through her hair before pulling on it at the back of her head. Jo brought her knees up infront of her. Hidan remained still. Jo seemed to be in a whole other world as she started to rock. "I can't breathe." She mumbled. Another clap of thunder echoed and she closed her eyes and dropped her head on her knees. She inhaled deeply and exhaled. Hidan watched her do this a few times. What the hell happened?

"What the hell?" He mumbled. "You ok?" She nodded. Another clap of thunder made her freeze and he heard her exhale. Jo stood up abruptly, startling Hidan. She bolted to the closet and pulled out a bathrobe and swung it on before grabbing some clothes from the dress and leaving the room without a word. Hidan sat there confused. What the fuck just happened? He wondered as he sat on the bed in her room alone. He could hear the thunder rolling. Was she afraid of thunder?

No that can't be it. She was fine with it yesterday. She got startled a few times, but she managed. Just a few moments ago, she looked damn near panicked. Hidan stood and walked down the hall, closing her door behind him. He knocked on the door.

"Hey, you good?" He asked her. He could hear the water running. "What the hell was that about?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She responded. Jo sounded a little shaky. She calmed her voice before speaking again. "Go eat something. I'll be down soon. Just need a shower." Hidan shook his head, not convinced but didn't press it. She'll be fine.

"is she ok?" Sasori asked Hanna as they stood at the counter. Hanna was making coffee and Sasori was cleaning some dishes. Hanna looked over her shoulder at Lily. She sat at the table with her head in her hands, not moving.

"She's fine." Hanna said and poured cream into her coffee. "She's hungover is all. Hey, Lily, you want food?" She asked. Lily grunted and hanna smiled at Sasori.

"You look like shit, yeah." Deidara stated and poke Lily in the head. She grunted at him and swatted lazily at his hand.

"Lily, go lay on the couch." Hanna told her with a smile. "I'll bring you something to eat." Lily nodded and shakily stood. She made it out of the kitchen before falling over in the hallway.

"Is she still drunk?" Deidara asked.

"Probably." Hanna admitted. "She got pretty smashed last night."

"So did you, yeah." Deidara pointed out. "How come you're not like her?" Hanna smirked at him. He, sasori, Kisame, and Lily all woke up with hangovers. Jo and Hidan probably did too but they were better at handling it. Hanna was practically untouched. Lily looked like shit and Deidara was a close second.

"Because I can handle my liquor better than you bitches." She teased.

"The hell, I can handle my liquor just fine, yeah!" Deidara shouted at her. She smiled and patted his arm.

"Sue you can." She told him. "Make sure you get plenty to eat because we got work to do." She told him. Thunder rolled and shook the house again and Hanna sighed. "This isn't even part of the hurricane I don't think." She mumbled and left the room. She shook her head at lily who was on the floor. "You good?" Lily hummed.

"Jus' lemme rest." She mumbled. Hanna msiled and kept walking. She entered the living room to find the majority of the Akatsuki there. She smiled at everyone. On the large couch, Kisame and Deidara sat at the opposite ends. Deidara was leaning on the arm rest. There were two chairs that had their backs to her and between them was a small table. On the opposite wall was another couch that was a bit smaller than the larger one. Zetsu sat in the corner again. Hanna shook her head at him, but let him be. Konan was sitting in one of the chairs. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Hanna who smiled back. Hanna sat herself down between Deidara and Kisame and grabbed the remote and turned on the tv. She flipped it to the weather channel.

"There has been no call for evacuation as of now, seeing as the storm is expected to loose strength over the next couple of hours. However, we do urge you to keep an eye on any news outlets you use to keep up with your local government just in case." The weather man said.

"How long until it hits us?" Konan asked.

"Probably not until late tomorrow at the earliest." Hanna said.

"You said you needed our help with something?" Kakuzu asked from his seat on the small couch. Lily shuffled into the room and rested a hand on the wall. The moment she touched the wall, the lights and tv flickered and another roll of thunder boomed outside.

"My bad." She mumbled and shuffled into the room.

"But Lily didn't do anything." Tobi said from his spot on the floor. "Miss Lily's a good girl!"

"Shut up, candy man." She slurred and stopped behind the empty chair. She pointed at him. "I'm Thor, son of Odin, and god of thunder! Got that?" She slurred.

"What the fuck, lily?" Hanna smiled and shook her head. Lily flipped over the chair and landed in it, not a single ounce of grace present.

"Fucking fight me." She mumbled before closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

"You guys are so fucking weird." Hidan said from his spot on the floor. HE was leaning against the small couch.

"Says the man who can cut off his own head and still talk." Hanna pointed out.

"What do you need to do to prepare for this storm?" Sasori asked as he walked in and saw the tv. He sat on the floor in front of Deidara, his second cup of coffee in his hands.

"Just board up the house, make sure we got everything electronic charge. We should probably move shit upstairs form the basement." Hanna started listing off things to do. "There isn't much to do besides wait it out. But if we have to evacuate, that would be a whole other story."

"Should we prepare to evacuate?" Konan asked. "Just to be safe?" She was concerned. Hurricanes in this world seemed to be a lot stronger than the ones they were used to. She didn't want to risk losing nyone in the storm. Hanna shrugged.

"It can't hurt." She admitted. "We can at least fill up the cars with gas. Other than that, it's just grabbing gear, food, and whatever clothes we would need."

"Where would we go, yeah?" Deidara asked and hanna blinked. She had completely forgotten about that.

"My family has a lake house in West Virginia." Jo said as she came into the room. Her hair was wet and she was drying it with a towel. She was in black sweat pants and a baggy grey tee shirt. "It's a long drive, but it's well out of the way of the storm. Hanna, I thought you said we weren't evacuating."

"We're just planning in case we have to." Hanna told her. She eyed her friend suspiciously. Jo seemed more subdued than usual. Jo just nodded. "I put a plate for you in the microwave. It might be cold by now." Jo nodded and turned on her heel. "We can at the very least get the gear loaded up into the cars in case we have to go. I don't want to have to pack food unless we have to. It might spoil."

"Seems reasonable." Kakuzu commented. "It would be a waste of money if it all spoiled for no reason."

"You and your fucking money." Hidan grumbled. Kakuzu was about to respond but Hanna clapped her hands.

"Boys!" She shouted. "Knock it off." She ordered, pointing at the two. Konan giggled and Hidan looked appalled. He was about to start yelling but Hanna cut him off.

"We should probably wake up Pein. I'm gonna need help getting the cars to the gas station." Hanna looked at Konan.

"I'm awake." Pein announced from his spot in the hall.

"Morning." Hanna offered. "I'm going to need you and Konan to drive two of the cars to the gas station."

"Both of us?" Konan asked, confused. Lily's hand shot up.

"I-" She started but stopped. Everyone waited for her to finish speaking. She had paused for a small while before talking again. "cannot drive." She announced. Hanna smiled and shook her head.

"I'd rather have one sober person babysitting." Hanna explained. "Last time I left lily with a group of friends, they almost burned the house down."

"Wasn't my fault." Lily mumbled. Hanna deadpanned.

"You threw a Molotov cocktail through the window." Jo pointed out as she came back into the room with a plate of food. "Itachi's up. He's in the kitchen." Hanna nodded at her. Jo walked behind the couch and went to the front door. She looked out the window and frowned. IT was still pouring and the wind was picking up still. A flash of lighting warned her and she held her breathe until the thunder rolled. She was ok. Jo moved back behind the couch and listened in on the conversation. She looked around at everyone as they talked and planned. Eventually, her eyes landed on Hidan. She stopped chewing.

He was staring right at her with a relaxed but serious expression. His magenta eyes met her gaze and he stared at her. Jo blinked at him and stopped chewing. Jo stared back and narrowed her eyes slightly in warning.

All conversation was stopped when an alert sounded from the television. Everyone looked as the bottom of the screen flashed a red warning. The voice read the alert out loud and they all sat in silence.

"A flood warning?" Kisame asked, frowning.

"It begins." Lily announced ominously, making several people in the room uncomfortable, especially when she started laughing maniacally. Jo grabbed a pillow from behind Kisame and tossed it at her, hitting Lily in the face. "Ow." She mumbled.

"Some of the roads are already starting to get standing water." Hanna explained and stood. "We should go now." Pein and Konan nodded and Konan stood. Hanna was about to make her way to the table that held the keys when a loud crack of thunder shook the house and startled everyone in the house. The lights had flickered as the thunder hit and many people jumped. Lily jumped onto the chair, screaming, startling Kisame even more and causing Deidara to jump off the couch and Tobi screamed back. Pein and Konan had actually jumped. At the same time had Lily jumped up, Jo went down, dropping fer plate and ending up in a crouch with one hand on the back of the couch. She let out a long line of startled swears that made Hanna and Deidara look over the couch at her, appalled. Yeah she swore, but this was something different.

"You good?" Hanna asked.

"Yeah." Jo said as she started picking up her now spilled food. "Shit." She gathered her spilled food and headed to the kitchen. Hanna tossed the keys to Pein and Konan.

"You guys ready?" She asked and neared the door. Pein and Konan nodded and followed. They were about to leave when Lily shot up and bolted into the kitchen.

"The hell's wrong with her?" Hidan asked. They heard retching. No doubt it was Lily. Hann ajusst hoped she got it in the trash can.

"GODDAMNIT, LILY! NOT IN THE FUCKING SINK!"


	11. Chapter 11

"The shit I do for these people." Jo mumbled as she stood before the sink. She was trying to clean out al lthe vomit. Lily may have been small, but she could store a lot in her stomach. It's insane and probably not good. At least she wasn't hungry anymore.

Hidan entered the kitchen and found Jo scrubbing away at the sink. She was in a white tank top with black sweat pants. He could see the muscles in her shoulders and arms as she scrubbed. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her eyebrows were furrowed as she scrubbed. HE could hear her grumbling under her breath as he watched her. He just stood there quietly until she was finished. She washed her hands and turned to him, startled to see him there.

"Jesus!" She hissed. "The hell do you want?" She asked as she kept a grip on the counter. The wind whisteled outside as rain continued to pour. Hidan walked forward, stopping only a few feet from her. She glared at him.

"What the hell happened earlier?" He asked her quietly. Jo glared at him.

"None of your fucking business." She grumbled as she tried to walk around him. Hidan grabbed her arm and kept her where she was. Jo ripped her arm from him and backed into the counter, glaring at him. "What?" She hissed. Hidan glared back and stuck his face close to hers.

"The fuck is your problem?" He asked.

"I'm being held captive in my own fucking kitchen." She hissed.

"That's not what I mean and you fucking know it!" He shouted suddenly but paused when he saw her flinch at his suddenly loud voice. He stepped back and inhaled, trying to get a little calmer. He could see her knuckles were white from gripping the counter. Even though she was giving him the angriest, most determined glare he's ever seen, Hidan could see right through it. Jo was scared. It made him angry. But that wasn't the problem right now. His anger was irrelevant. He needed to know what he did wrong.

Hidan may seem like an idiot, but he could put two and two together. She'd been hit. Not hit the way Lily and Jo rough houses, or in a fight. Someone close to her hit her out of anger, someone she loved or cared for made her fear for her safety, possibly even her life.

"What the hell is wrong?" He asked, his tone firm, but calmer. He crossed his arms and stared down at her.

"Nothing." She stated firmly and started to walk again. Hidan stock his arm out to block her, but didn't grab her again. He looked down at her and she glared up to him, pure hatred in her eyes. The look he gave her back told her she wasn't gonna leave unless she answered his question or she could make a fuss and get everyone else involved. Jo crossed her arms. "Why are you pushing this?" She asked. Hidan smirked with a little huff of amusement.

"Need to know what the fuck I did wrong." He explained simply and gave her a suggestive smirk. "Need to know so I don't fuck it up next time." Jo looked him dead in the eye with a flat expression.

"What makes you think there'll be a next time?" She asked before shoving his arm out of the way and walking out of the kitchen. Hidan scowled and stared after her. That is how Kakuzu found him. He walked in with a mug of something and sipped it, staring at the JAshinist.

"What's your problem?" Kakuzu asked. Hidan opened his mouth but Kakuzu put his hand up. "Nevermind. I don't care." He said and sipped his drink as he walked out. Hidan bristled.

"Then why the fuck did you ask?" He shouted.

"And I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more." Hanna sang to herself as she was leaning against her trail blazer.

"Hanna." Konan spoke up as she approached the car. "I believe the pump has stopped." She explained. Hanna smiled and walked over to Jo's car.

"Ok, so you take it out and put it back and then make sure to screw the cap back on." She explained. "Pein you outta listen in on this, too!" She called over to Pein who stood at Lily's truck.

"It looks as if the rain is slowing." Konan said as she looked at the street near them. Hanna hummed as she pushed some buttons on the machine.

"Don't get your hopes up." Hanna told her as she finished gassing her own car. "It'll just start again soon." Konan nodded and folded her arms as she leaned against Jo's car. They had to wait for Pein now, Lily's car takes the longest. "So do you love him?" Hanna asked out of the blue. Konan snapped her head so fast, Hanna almost got whiplash.

"Excuse me?" She asked. Hanna smiled at her.

"You know who." Hanna teased and flicked her eyes to an oblivious Pein. Konan sighed and nodded. "I knew it." Hanna mumbled. Konan smiled slightly. "For how long?"

"Since we were children." Konan explained. "Being here has given us a chance to admit it. Not only to each other, but to ourselves." Hanna frowned, not understanding why. Konan continued. "In our world, there was too much at risk. Enemies could easily use it against us. We felt it safer to not complicate the situation." Hanna looked at her with sympathy.

"And now?" Hanna asked. Konan smiled with a small blush.

"The truck is filled." Pein announced as he walked over. The two women looked to him, smiling and he got a feeling he was missing something.

"Ok, so I guess we should head back then." Hanna said. "The roads are still really slick so don't go too fast. Do you two remember the way back?" Konan and Pein looked at each other before shrugging. Hanna shrugged. "Just follow me." She said and got in the car. Pein and Konan followed suit.

"Goddamnit." Lily mumbled. "Fucking shit." She grumbled as she tugged the hair tie. It was stuck in her hair again. She tugged and pulled but nothing happened. She tried just ripping her hair out but it didn't work. "That's it." She hissed and started rummaging around in her desk. "Aha!" She cried and pulled out the scissors. She slipped them on her fingers and held her hair as far from her head as she could and slipped the scissors on her fingers. She smirked as her hand neared her hair. Freedom!

"What are you doing?" Itachi asked as he grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Freedom!" She hissed. A huff of air came out of his nose in amusement. He lowered her hand and set out to remove the hair tie from her hair. He too had been victim of terrible hair ties. It took him a few seconds, but he pulled the ahir tie out and held it infront of her face. She smiled brightly and gasped before smashing into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Itachi stood there, startled. He still wasn't used to physical affection, even though for the past two days, she had been physically close to his person. "Thank you." She whispered before releasing him. "I'm hungry, you hungry?"

"No." He told her. She grabbed his wrist and started to pull him.

"Too bad." She said and tugged him downstairs. "Do you want tea?" She asked.

"Told you." Hanna said to Konan as they got out of their cars. It had started storming again and thunder rolled. "This storm looks like it's picking up!" She had to shout at them as they ran up the driveway. They burst into the door as the rain poured and Hanna slipped on the wood and almost fell back, but Pein and Konan caught her and held her up.

"Nice catch." Lily said from the hallway. "You wanna help up set up?" Lily asked as she ripped some tape with her teeth.

"Set up?" Konan asked? Hanna shook her head. They could see Kisame and Deidara at the windows putting the duct tape on the windows in a x.

"Shit!" Jo mumbled as she came into view. "Fuck, ass, tits." She swore as she shoved a footlocker through the hall. Lily stopped it with her foot. Jo knelt and glared up at her. "Move."

"EMty it and it'll be easier." Lily suggested. Jo sat on the floor with a huff.

"Its full of canned food." Jo admitted. "If we gotta evacuate, I ain't waistin' money on perfectly good food, and then waiting more on buying more food." Lily rolled her eyes as Kakuzu and Zetsu appeared from the steps to the basement as well, each with a few suitcases nd coolers as well. Hidan walked in from the kitchen and smirked before bending over and lifting the footlocker and resting it on his shoulder. Jo glared up at him and crossed her arms. "Fuck you. Show off."

"Yeah, yeah." Hidan waved at her. "Where the fuck do you want it."

"Kitchen." Jo pointed. "It's not full yet." He turned on his heel and walked into the kitchen. "Fuckin' ninja piece of shit." Kakuzu and Zetsu followed Hidan. "Hey, Zetsu, we actually need yours out here." She called to him. Zetsu reappeared and Lily left to go help Hidan in the kitchen.

"Where's everyone else?" Hanna asked as she was taking off her now soaked shoes. Kisame looked over at her and then around in the living room. Tobi was sitting in a corner, looking quite blue. Hanna ignored it, not wanting to geet into it.

"I think Itachi is helping moving stuff upstairs, still." Kisame offered. "Sasori might still be helping him."

"She's over reacting." Hanna said as she jumped over the coach to sit. "It's not supposed to hit us, she's just being stupid."

"I'm still fuckin' here!" Jo shouted from the floor.

"And your point is?" Hanna asked, staring at Jo.

"lily's rubbing off on you." Jo stated and pointed at her. "Stop it."

"Hey, Hidan." Lily greeted with a small smile as she moved around him. "You can just set it next to the table. I'm gonna make some Lavender Tea bread. If I were you, I'd hide in here with me."

"What the fuck you talking about?" Hidan asked.

"Jo's freaking out a bit." Lily said as she started to get things together. "She's stressed about this storm hitting." Hidan looked at her over his shoulder with a scowl as Lily put an apron on and washed her hands. "And I take it she freaked out this morning."

"What do you know about it?" He asked her. Lily stopped what she was doing and looked at him over her shoulder as he turned to face her fully. She looked him up and down and shrugged.

"You two boned, I'm guessing." She pointed out. Lily turned back to what she was baking. She started mixing some things together and preheated the oven. "Then I take it something startled her and scared her shitless. Am I right?" Lily asked. Hidan's silence answered her question. "Thought so."

"You're not answering my fucking question." Hidan pointed out.

"You don't even know her." Lily pointed out. "Why do you care?" Hidan grit his teeth.

"She got beat, didn't she?" Hidan asked. "Recently, too by what's on her back." Lily stopped and frowned. She turned to look at him.

"What's on Jo's back?" She asked, concerned. Hidan shook his head.

"Nevermind." He told her. "She's takin' care of it." Lily nodded and went back to mixing things.

"So you answered your own question." She pointed out. "If you knew why did you ask?" Hidan didn't answer and Lily smirked to herself before looking at him again with a goofy smile. "Aw, you love her!" She squeeled quietly. Hidan went red as a tomato and pointed at her accusingly.

"Donn't go sayin' shit like that!" He shouted and Lily pouted.

"Why? It's true." She said with a wink, pissing him off further. He looked as if his head was about to fly off his shoulders. Lily just ignored him and kept mixing things together. Before long she got lost in her thoughts. What was on Jo's back? She was probably ok, but it still made Lily worry. How recent was it? Would he come around and cause trouble? Then there was Hidan. It was obvious to her that he actually gave a shit about Jo. That could be a good thing, but it could also be a bad thing. Jo could freak out at the idea of a relationship, especially with someone who would probably leave to go back to his own world. Or what if they ended up staying, but the relationship went south? What kind of strain would that put on them, on all of them?

"Are you even fucking listening?" He shouted, startling Lily. She looked over her shoulder with a confused look, indicating she wasn't listening. "Screw this!" he shouted and walked out, leaving Lily with a small smile. HE may be a criminal, but he had a decent heart. She couldn't judge, she was a criminal herself. Hell, if you wanted to get technical, every single person in the house was a criminal, including herslf, Jo, and Hanna. But Jo and Hanna didn't get caught.

"Kisame can you hand me the tape?" Hanna asked and Kisame passed it to her. She was going over the x's they already did. She was finishing up and put the last piece of tape on. "Ok, who wants to go help me outside?"

"Why do we gotta go out there, un?" Deidara asked.

"I wanna close the shutters." Hanna explained. "Tobi, wanna help?" Tobi leapt from his corner and into her arms, wrapping himself around her as he babbled on excitedly. She almost buckled under his weight as he choked her, but Kisame kept her upright and pushed him off.

"Tobi, knock it off." Kisame told him. Tobi jumped up again and Hanna dragged him and Kisame outside to close the shutters.

"This should be the last of it." Jo said as she set a box of decorations in the attic. "Thanks guys." Itachi and Sasori nodded to her. She moved to the back and they watched as she went. She started pulling out a few large tarps and started to drag them back towards where the two men were standing. "Here, help me drape these over everything. It'll protect it if the roof leaks." She instructed the two men and they had everything covered in a matter of minutes.

"Has this happened to you before?" Sasori asked as he helped her spread one of the tarps. She hummed and nodded.

"We lived in an older house though, and it wasn't a big storm." Jo explained. "It probably won't hit us, but I like to be prepared." A loud crack of thunder startled the three nd the two men could see her visibly flinch. "Let's get back down stairs, see if they're done with the windows yet." She suggested and lead the two back downstairs. The house shook as the wind howled. They paused when the lights flickered.

"What was that?" Sasori asked. Jo scowled.

"Bitch ass storm better not knock out the fucking power." She mumbled and continued walking.

"Is there something else we need to do to prepare?" Itachi asked, curious to see what else they could do. Jo shook her head.

"Nothing to do but wait now." She answered. Jo sniffed the air and smiled a bit. "Smell's like Lily's baking again. She might not be the best cook, but damn that girl can bake."

"Can you cook or bake?" Sasori asked. Jo snorted.

"Only if you want me to burn down the house or kill someone." She answered.

"You should cook something for Tobi." Sasori said. Jo actually laughed a bit and shook her head. Her pocket buzzed and she pulled it out, checking th notifications. She got a facebook message from someone. The two men almost bumped into her when she stopped. She only paused for a second to look at it before turning her phone back off and shove it in her pocket. "So, are you guys settling in well?" She asked. The two men nodded, but she wasn't facing them so she turned over she shoulder to see it. "If you guys need anything, feel free to ask." The two men nodded again and Sasori looked past her before scowling.

"What happened to you three?" He asked and Itachi and Jo looked at Hanna, Kisame, and Tobi, all soaking wet, and Hanna was shivering.

"She made us close the shutters." Tobi whined. Hanna shuffled past the three to get to her room.

"Why did you guys let her drag you out in this storm?" Jo asked, trying not to laugh. Kisame shrugged and Tobi started to shiver. She shook her head. "You guys can use the shower in my room if you need to warm up. Hanna will probably stay in there for a week." She explained and wlaked past, patting Kisame on the arm sympathetically. She shook her head and continued down the steps. She didn't care if the other two followed her or not. She was halfway down the step when the power was knocked out.

"Goddamnit!" she heard Hanna shout from upstairs.

"For fuck's sake!" Lily shouted from down stairs.

"fuck." Was all Jo mumnled as she felt her way back downstairs. She made it to the living room and the power was back on. The television and lights all turned back on.

"Is it just me, or is it still quiet?" Deidara asked. A couple of Akatsuki members noticed and they all sat in silence, trying to figure out what was missing. Lily left to go check on what she was baking.

"Oven's on!" She called from the kitchen. She walked back in. "Is the air conditioner on?" She asked and thunder rolled outside. Jo's eyes went wide.

"SHit, shit, shit." She mumbled and jogged to the basement door. "Lily, come help."

"Hell, fucking no." SHe said and crossed her arms, "You know I don't go in the basement." Jo rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for the love of..." She mumbled and looked around, Hidan was the closest so she waved him over. "Let's go, big boy." She said before disappearing down the steps.

"What the fuck do you need me for?" He shouted. They heard a thud from the basement and a few seconds later, the power went out again. "That's fuckin' why! You gotta hold a light so I can fucking see!"

"Stop fucking with the power, i'm trying to bake!" Lily shouted down the steps.

"I didn't fucking do it this time!" Jo called back up. Lily huffed and Hidan passed her, heading down the steps. When he got to the bottom, Jo passed him a flashlilght. He held it and she told him where to aim it. She opened up a box and started tinkering with some wires.

Hanna tossed her wet clothes over the side of the tub to let them dry out. She heard a knock on her bedroom door.

"It's open." SHe called. Hanna stood in front of her mirror and started trying to brush out her shoulder length hair. She peeked out her bathroom door and smiled at her guest. She shook her head and returned to brushing out her now towel dried hair. Kisame looked around her room. Her bed was pushed near a wall under the window. There was a desk nd a bookshelf and her desk was a mess. Papers were scattered all over it and posters covered one of her walls. Kisame was standing at another wall that had small shelves holding little knick knacks and trinquets. She had hung up a few picture frames on the wall as well as a large map of their world with little pins in some of the countries. He looked at some of the pictures. One was a picture of Hanna, Lily, and Jo. The three were smiling from ear to ear but they looked tired, like they had been through a rough week. Lily was pale and looked thinner than she was now somehow. Hanna had bags under her eyes and her hair was a knotted mess. Jo, even though she was grinning brighter than he'd ever seen her smile, he could see the hint of a black eye and she had a cut on her lip. You would have thought the three had gone through a war zone. Behind them, it almost looked like a hospital and the sign told him it was a rehabilitation center. He shrugged and looked at the next picture.

Kisame had to blink. He was kind of startled. The person hanging on hanna was another girl who looked the same age as her. Infact, they looked almost identical, except, this girl he didn't recognize was bleach blonde. Were they twins?

"That's Anna." Hanna spoke from her spot in the doorway. Kisame turned to look at her. SHe was in a baggy white T shirt and he cold just barely see the black athletic shorts underneath. Hanna walked forward and stood next to him. "Anna's my twin. Well, she was."

"Was?" Kisame prompted gently. hanna looked up at him and smiled gently before nodding.

"Yeah." She sanwered. "Anna died in a car crash about four years ago." Kisame frowned.

"Like the cars you guys drive?" Hanna nodded. "Do people die a lot?"

"Sometimes." Hanna answered shrugging. "Anna was killed by a drunk driver. When you drink, driving is more dangerous and you're almost garunteed to kill or at least injure someone. Anna just happened to be driving that night." Kisame could hear the sadness in her voice. He could hear the loss and how devastating it was to lose her twin. He gently elbowed her and pointed to a different picture. It was of Hanna, Lily, and jo looking absolutely terrified.

"What is this picture?" He asked, trying to distract her. Hanna smiled at it.

"There's a theme park called Busch Gardens. It has a tone of things called rollarcoasters and it's the closest we can get to flying without a plane. It's terrifying and exhilarating." She explained. "Maybe if you guys stay long enough, we can take you. It's not far from here." Kisame smiled down at her.

"Sounds fun."

"TObi's gonna have to be on a leash though." She stated, making Kisame chuckle. He stopped when he felt Hanna's hand brush against his. he smiled dosftly down at her and she avoid his gaze. She tried to pull her hand away but he held it softly, running his thumb over her hand.

"Tell me more about these pictures." He told her. Hanna almost beamed. She dropped his hand and walked over to the bookshelf, pulling out a large phot album.

"You asked for it." SHe teased and plopped down on her bed. Kisame chuckled and sat down next to her. She opened to page one and started in on the stories. They sat there for a long while, Hanna telling stories about her adventures in school, college, work, and something called summer camp. Some of the stories didn't have happy endings, but some of them made her laugh, and Kisame couldn't help but laugh a long. He watched her and found he liked it best when she was laughing so hard tears would come to her eyes. Her face seemed to glow then, and the laughter was infectious. her smile could cure any malady and her laugh was a healthy, full laugh that made it hard to breathe.

HE found that her hair curled as it dried, making it look like a wild mane that fell to her shoulders. The curls were full and beautiful and he had to stop himself from running his fingers through her hair. She might have just been in lounging clothes with her hair a mess, but she was stunning as the lighting flashed through her windows.

"Kisame?" She asked. "You ok?" He snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, why?" He asked, shaking his head slightly. Hanna frowned.

"You're staring." SHe pointed out. Kisame started to assure her he was fine. "Now you're turning pinkish. You sure you're ok?" She asked as she got on her knees and put a hand on his face. He froze at her gentle touch. Her hand was cool on his forehead and he leaned into her touch slightly, grinning. "You don't feel warm." She mumbled and put her hand on the side of his face. He rested his large hand over hers and gave her a sly grin. Hanna blushed slightly nd he gentely wrapped his long fingers around her hand and pulled it to his lips. She shivered when he kissed the inside of her hand lightly. She watched with her heart racing a mile a minute as he kissed the inside of her wrist and when he looked her dead in the eyes, she swore her heart stopped.

"What's wrong?" He asked, teasingly. "You're staring." He stated in a quiet tone, his toothy grin flashing in the lightening. The lights were still out, so they only got a little light from the rainy day. he neared her face and Hanna couldn't bring herself to move. Although she wouldn't if she could. There was something mesmerizing about Kisame. He stopped centimeters from her face. She could feel his breathe on her lips and she slowly inhaled. He stayed there for a few beats before smirking. With an amused "Hmph." he leaned away. Hanna huffed in frustration as she watched him stand up and head across the room.

"What the fuck was that?" SHe asked almost angrily. Kisame stopped at the door, holding onto the doorknob. He looked over his shoulder at her.

"What?" He asked teasingly. Hanna blushed slightly and pointed at him, then herself, then him again.

"That." She indicated. HE chuckled and shut the door. He looked at her to find she was still on her knees and looking rather disgruntled. Her face still held her blush and his shark senses allowed him to hear (or rather sense) her rapid heart beat. If there had been any doubt in his mind that she was at least interested, those doubts were long gone. HE walked over to the bed until he was as close as he could be until he got on the bed. She was right on the edge and glaring up at him. Hanna coul seem younger than she ws at times, but there were some instances where she looked her age. Her ability to go from an adorable young woman, to the brave, firm woman that was before was intriguing, and really sexy. He loved the glare she gave him and he grinned down at her with all of his pointy teeth. He saw something flash in her eyes. It wasn't disgust or doubt. It was entertainment. She thought he wouldn't do anything. She was challenging him in her own subtle way. He bently slightly and kissed her suddenly, throwing her off. She froze and let him kiss her. He backed away just a hair and he heard a sigh escape her. He opened his eyes and say hers were half lidded and dazed. He gently grabbed the sides of her face and kissed her again. She kissed him back this time and her hands gently clung to his grey shirt. She noticed the fabric was a soft cotton. She didn't know why she noticed it. His lips were soft, too, though, and gentle as he kissed her.

Kisame's hands found their way into her hair and his fingers grabbed the hair at the base of her neck, pulling it just enough for her to gasp and pull her head back, exposing her throat to him. His kissed along her jaw and moved forward, gently leading her backwards until she was laying on the bed with Kisame ontop of her. He kissed down her neck and one of his legs rested between her thighs. He bit her neck at the base, where it met her collar and she arched against him. As he bit, he brought his leg up against her and she moaned as she moved. He chuckled into her neck and buried his face there, breathing her in, listening to her pulse race. He was going to take his time.

Using one hand to brace himself against the bed (so he didn't crush her) he used his other hand to slowly grave her side. He heard her gasp slightly and she shifted. He brought his leg against her groin again and she moved with him, moaning. He smiled against her skin and kissed her neck, working his way up to her ear as his hand slipped under her shirt. She was warm and her skin was soft. She gasped at his light touch and he bit gently.

He quickly found she was braless and gave a slight squeeze, making her whimper and arch against his chest. he lowered himself slightly to get closer to her and he kissed her lips again. She lifted her hips against him, startling him. He grunted and pulled away from her mouth, looking at her in amusement and surprise. She looked up at him with a small msirk before moving again, making him grunt again before chuckling quietly. He dipped his head to rest against her shoulder again and she shivered at the breath on her neck. She let her fingers trail lightly down his chest, and Hanna felt a small satisfaction at the shivers she caused.

but she had gripped at his shirt tightly again when he moved against her and she bit her lip, trying to stifle a grunt. He repeated his actions and squeezed her chest, making her hiss and arch her back yet again, pressing her firmly against his chest as she rose up to meet him. he could feel her thighs tense around him and his hand trailed down her sized again to rest on her hip. His other hand did the same thing and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He brought his other leg between hers and he guided her legs to wrap around him and one of his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him. Her tongue swirled around his before grazing the roof of his mouth. Kisame didn't know why, but it felt really good and hanna could tell from the quiet moan.

Both were brought back to reality when someone shrieked with a loud popping sound. The lights flickered back on and the two looked around. Hanna looke dup at the light and Kisame looked towards the door. Both were wondering what happened. Kisame slowly released her and sat up before sliding off the bed. Hanna sat up and looked up at the blue man, her face still warm.

"I guess we should go see what happened." He sighed with a small smile. "Fingers crossed no one's dead." He joked and crossed his fingers. Hanna looked at his back sadly as he walked towards the door.

She was just a distraction. He would be going home anyway, it's not like they were staying. Hanna couldn't help but feel cold and exposed as she slid off the bed to follow him.

They could hear swearing downstairs. but Hanna couldn't help but think she was just something to pass the time to him. She needed to protect herself. Besides, there was no way someone would genuinely prefer her, plane old hanna, to Jo or Lily. Those two were brighter, louder, more interesting than her. HSe was just Hanna, plain old hanna. And Kisame was just using her to pass the time. He didn't care about her and why should he. They only just met. Kisame looked over his shoulder as he walked through the door and saw she was staring into space with a blank face. He frowned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked as he reached out to grab her hand gentely. This startled Hanna. "Come on, I can hear Hidan and Kakuzu fighting." He said and gentely pulled her along. She smiled softly and squeezed his hand before startling him and hugging him from behind. He chuckled and patted her arm. SHe released him and slid her hand into his, letting him lead them to the living room.

They found Kakuzu scolding and irate Hidan and Jo was on the couch, knocked out. Konan was standing near by looking mildnly concerned. Tobi was poking Jo's face and Itachi was leaving the room. Deidara was leaning over the couch looking at her.

"What happened?" Hanna asked as she moved over to Jo.

"She got electrocuted." Konan told her. "At least, that's what hidan said."

"Alright, bitches," Lily said as she stepped into the room, trailed by itachi. "I got this." SHe announced as she pretend to role up invisible sleeves. She leaned over Jo and checked her pulse and breathing. She started tapping Jo's face. "Jo, sweety, you good?" SHe asked, getting no response. "Jo," She drawled. "Joey, Jo? Joanna." SHe called before huffing. "Wake up!" SHe shouted and smacked Jo so hard, Kisame, Deidara and Hidan flinched. Jo's arm shot out and her fist connected with Lily's nose, making the blue headed girl cry out in pain. "Son of a bitch!"

"Ow," jo mumbled as she sat up, "the fuck happened?" SHe mumbled and rubbed her face. "WHo smacked me?" SHe asked, irritated.

"You broke my fucking nose!" Lily shouted at her as blood ran over her hand and mouth. "Fuck." Jo just blinked at her and shrugged.

"Did you smack me?" Jo asked.

"She did, yeah." deidara supplied.

"She knows better." Jo shrugged and Lily stormed off to the bathroom to try and get cleaned up, swearing the whole way. Hanna chuckled before sitting on the couch.

"I can't leave you two alone for ten minutes, can I?" She said to Jo. Everyone started sitting around. They all had some weird cartoon on. Kisame sat next to her, his arm on the couch behind her.

"Where the hell have you been, anyway?" Jo asked. Hanna stood up suddenly, startling Jo and Kisame.

"I'm gonna get a beer, ya'll want a beer?" SHe asked before leaving the living room.

"Beer?" Jo asked. "It's just past noon."

"Ya'll?" Hidan mumbled. "The fuck?"

"You broads go through alcohol like it's water." Kakuzu mumbled. Jo chuckled and leaned back, crossing her arms. She was still keeping her distance from Hidan, and she was ignoring he fact that he had brought her upstairs. Almost everyone else could tell she was avoiding him. Konan leaned against Pein's legs and looked up at him. He met her stare and shrugged. They watched as Hidan sat on the floor in front of Jo, rather than take the seat next to her. Kakuzu was slightly impressed at his partner's ability to not overstep boundries. Maybe they should bring Jo back with them. She seems to be the only one who can almost keep him in line.

Sasori yawned and stood. As he wlked away he cracked some of his joints. he was stiff and needed to stretch. But he was also tired. He made his way upstairs and to the attic. The girls had supplied them with blow up matresses and sleeping backs and mats that were used for camping. they would layer the mats and then put a sleeping back on top as a slight matress. The girls had a ton of blankets and sheets for some reason, and it wasn't cold enough to sleep in the sleeping bags.

The attic was actually very spacious and they were each given a small suitcase or box to store their things in, well, the stuff they bought or had on them when they arrived. Even though their sleeping areas were spread out, there was still plenty of space. Sasori tossed off his shirt and started doing some stretches. It wouldn't do to let himself get stiff and rusty. He wasn't a puppet anymore, so he had to take extra care.

Deidara entered the kitchen and found Hanna digging in the fridge. She emerged with a beer. She saw him and grabbed one for him. Hanna tossed it to him with a smile and he caught it easily.

"You been sleeping ok?" SHe asked. Deidara looked at her funny. "What? I'm mworried about you guys!" She defended. Deidara laughed slightly.

"Sorry, yeah." He chuckled and popped the tab on his beer. He held it in his hands almost nervously. "We're still not really used to someone taking care of us, yeah." Hanna chuckled.

"I kinda figured." SHe said and hopped in the counter, opening her own beer. "But, if you guys ever need something, don't be afraid to ask." She reminded him and sipped on her beer. Deidara watched her and started to fidget. "Something wrong?" SHe asked quietly. Deidara looked at the doorway and walked over to her. They could hear the wind beating the house outside.

"I, uh, I need adviced, yeah." He admitted.

"Advice on what?" Hanna asked. Deidara seemed super uncomfortable and he shook his head before offering a smile.

"Never mind, yeah." He said but hanna grabbed his sleeve, stopping him from leaving.

"Deidara, you can tell me." She told him sincerely, looking at him with concern. "I won't laugh, and I won't judge, and I won't tell anyone." Deidara looked at her before sighing. THey sat there in silence for a few minutes, just sipping beer.

"What do you do..." He hesitated and Hanna sat waiting for him to speak. "How do you...uh..." Deidara sipped his beer some more and Hanna watched him. "When you like someone, how do you let them know?" Hanna had to blink. THis kinda caught her off guard.

"Well," She paused and Deidara looked at her. "I guess you just gotta do nice things for them."

"How do you know they like you back?" Deidara asked. There was something in his voice that told hanna this was his main question. She hesitated.

"Depending on their personality, they'll let you know." Hanna explained. "Like Jo. If she beats on you, gives you shit, she cares about you. Lily keeps her distance but is still warm and friendly. If Jo doesn't like someone, she says it right to their face. Lily just kinda sits and glares until they leave. You can usually tell when someone likes you back." Hanna paused. "Usually, when a person likes you, they'll go out of their way to make you happy, keep you safe, stuff like that. Some questions to ask are: do they seem to enjoy being around me? Do they laugh or smile when I tell a joke? Do they go out of their way to be near me? It's different for everyone, but there are small changes in behavior that let you know if someone likes you more than a friend." Hanna told him with a small smile. Deidara sipped his drink and thought on what she told him. "If it's Sasori, don't be too worried. He's still probably trying to get used to being human again."

Deidara looked up at her startled, and felt his cheeks warm up. He didn't look at her and Hanna chuckled before hopping off the counter. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a quick squeeze before releasing him.

"We got you Deidara." She said to him. "The three of us might not look like much, but we care about you guys. If you need anything, come see us."She said before waltzing out of the kitchen. Deidara stood there with his thoughts. Do something nice. What should he do? He couldn't do much right now. Where even was Sasori?

Deidara grabbed another beer and headed out of the kitchen. He didn't see Sasori in the living room so he headed upstairs. The red head was probably sleeping again. Since they had been there, Sasori was almost always in bed. Deidara knocked on the attic door before pushing it open. He stopped short when he saw Sasori doing a hand stand. Deidara could see the sweat starting to form on Sasori's very toned chest and Deidara couldn't help but think back to when he was pushed against it. He felt his heart race and looked away, blushing. Sasori smirked to himself before standing up right. He turned away from Deidara and grabbed his shirt.

"What do you want, brat?" He asked and proceeded to fold his shirt. Deidara had to actively avoid looking at the muscles on sasori's shoulders.

"Brought you a beer, yeah." Deidara mumbled, walking across to him. He held it out to Sasori. "Tought you'd be thirsty." Sasori nodded in thanks and accepted it. He cracked it open and took a sip before walking over to his sleeping bag. He sat on it and closed his eyes. The cool air hitting his skin gave him goosebumps and he liked it. He had forgotten how things felt when he was a puppet. He found he preferred the cold, he loved the feel of wood and earth, and he didn't mind the feel of other people's skin.

Deidara plopped down next to him and sipped on his own beer before gently elbowing Sasori, getting his attention.

"What's on your mind, hm?" Deidara asked, looking at him. Sasori rested his face on his hand and looked at the blonde next to him. Deidara's hair was super soft surprisingly, and right now it was down and around his shoulders. Sasori found Deidara smelt like clay and fire. IT wasn't over powering. The red head let his hand gently gather some of Deidara's hair before pulling it close to his face. Sasori closed his eyes and inhaled Deidara's smell while the blonde blushed furiously. "Dana!" Deidara exclaimed, but kept his voice down. Sasori shot him a small glare, telling him to be quiet. He leaned over to the blonde and buried his face in Deidara's neck, inhaling the smell of Deidara. He could smell the soap and fresh clean smell of the shirt. He wrapped his arms slowly around the stuttering blonde's waist. Deidara was beside himself as Sasori basically pushed them both down onto the sleeping bag. He set the can of beer down and made sure it didn't spill. "Dana, what are you doing, yeah?" He hissed.

"Shut up." Sasori mumbled against his skin. "I'm tired."

"That doesn't mean you get to use me as your personal pillow, yeah!" Deidara hissed. Sasori looked him dead in the eye with a blank expression.

"Do you want me to move?" He asked. Deidara grit his teeth and let his head fall back. Sasori had a point. Sasori returned his head to Deidara's shoulder and kissed the skin gently, startling Deidara. Sasori ignored him and kept kissing. He found he enjoyed touching Deidara, feeling deidara, feeling his heart beat, his skin, hearing his breathe. He also found it amusing how Deidara would clam up every time Sasori got close to him like this. Maybe he should stop, perhaps they were getting carried away.

Sasori thought back to the club. They hadn't done anything explicit, although not for his lack of trying. Other groups of people had come down the hall and kept distracting the poor blonde, setting him on edge.

Deidara was starting to get frustrated. Sasori was doing what he wanted and it was driving him nuts. Deidara, as a small act of rebellion, let his fingers trail down Sasori's torso, making the red head gasp and shiver. Deidara smirked as Sasori gave him a glare.

"Deidara." Sasori warned, glaring at him. Deidara smirked and let his other hand trail down as well. he could see the reaction on Sasori's face and smirked again. Sasori grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them down. He managed to fit both of Deidara's wrists in one hand above his head. He took his free hand and ran it down Deidara's chest and slipped it up and under his shirt, making the blonde boy grunt. Sasori smirked and let his hands roam south. Deidara's stomach twitched automatically under Sasori's touch.

Deidara was starting to relax under Sasori's gentle touch. What else could you expect from an artist. Sasori was meticulous in his work, paying attention to every detail.

"Dana," Deidara let out in a whisper, and his breath tickled Sasori's ear. He had moved his face to rest against Deidara's cheek. the blonde gasped and shifted underneath him when his hands grabbed Deidara through his pants. He could feel Deidara's breathe and could tell his breathing was becoming rapid. He couldn't help but smirk as he massaged him through his jeans.

"If I let you go," Sasori whispered in his ear. "Will you stay put?" Deidara could only nod nd Sasori slowly released him. Deidara closed his eyes as he felt Sasori's hands trail down his chest again and undo his jeans. His back arched and he bit down on his lip to keep quiet when something warm and moist wrapped around him.

"Goddamnit."

Itachi opened the door and saw Lily standing at the mirror, poking at her nose.

"Shit, this hurts." She mumbled, "ANd it's crooked. She really did a number on me this time, hu?" Hse asked and turned to Itachi. He stood there with a bag of ice. he stepped forward and set it on the sink.

"May I help?" He asked. Lily sighed and nodded. He rested his hands on her face and quickly pushed her nose back the way it belonged. She hissed and closed her eyes.

"Ah shit, fuck, ouch, fuck." She mumbled and Itachi just watched her. After a few minutes she calmed down and she wiped the tears away. "Thanks," She mumbled. "What's up? did you need anything?" SHe asked. Itachi handed her the bag of ice.

"Konan prepared this for you." He explained and she took it, smacking it on her face and she winced. Itachi couldn't help but smirk and roll his eyes at her antics. He took the bag back from her and turned away, heading out the door. "Come with me." She rolled her eyes at the quiet man and followed. They ended up in her room. He indicated to the bed. "Lay down." He instructed. She moved passed him and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh, Itachi, how romantic." She teased and he shook his head at her. He sat on the edge of her mattress and wrapped the bag of ice in a towel he nebbaed from the bathroom. Lily was surprised she didn't notice, but then again, he was a ninja, so she ignored it. She closed her eyes and he gently let the bag rest on her face. She moved her hand to rest on top of the bag to keep it steady, and was startled to find his hand was still there. "Sorry." She mumbled.

"It's fine." itachi offered. He was about to stand and leave, but was stopped when Lily rested her legs on his lap. He looked at her and she just lay there.

"I'm not just gonna sit here on my own." She mumbled and pulled out her phone. She typed out something and sent it. it was a message to Hanna to let her know to take the cake out soon. They sat there in silence for a small while before Itachi spoke.

"May I borrow a book?" He asked. Lily sat up and looked at him before nodding. She rolled to her side and grabbed a book. She handed it to him.

"Here." SHe offered. "I think you should read this one." He looked at the title of the book. It had a rabbit on it in a field. The book was thick and titled Watership Down. "It's a good book. It seems weird, but it's actually really good." She explained.

"Thank you." Itachi said and opened the book. He began to read. He had gotten a few pages in but Lily nudged him. He looked at her. "Hm?"

"Can you read it to me?" SHe asked. Itachi smirked a bit but didn't say anything. Lily scowled. "I'm sitting with a bag of ice on my face, I can't really do much." She explained. Itachi smiled to himself and returned to the book.

"The two rabbits went up to the board at a hopping run and crouched in a patch of nettles on the far side," He read. Lily tried to relax and forced her muscles to untense. She focused on his voice. It was smooth and calm. Lily had to bit her lip to keep from laughing when he actually injected small amount of emotion into the voices. Itachi read to her for a while and she listened as the ice calmed her face.

Lily thought back on their friendship over the past two days. Or maybe three days. WHo knows anymore. He had sat at the pool and she told him something personal before even speaking to him. And the next day when he helped pull glass from her feet, she damn near bared her soul to him, and he just let her. He didn't tell her to shut up, or get over it, or move on. He just listened to her. Since that little incident, she noticed he tended to stick closer to her than to Hanna or Jo. He never moved when she invaded his personal space, accident or not. Maybe she's over thinking it. He doesn't like her, they're just roommates for now. But maybe, some day, they could be friends.

Sorry its been so long I wanted to write more, but I feel this is all I can do for tonight. Hope to get the next one up soon, please reveiew, it lets me know if I need to keep writing or not.

hope you enjoyed


	12. Chapter 12

Hanna started cooking dinner around four. She was going to keep it simple so she tossed some baked beans in a baking dish, add some ketchup, mustard, and a little brown sugar before mixing it all together and tossing it in the oven. She cut open a large pack of hot dogs and started boiling them. She preferred them grilled but she didn't feel like braving the storm. While the hot dogs boiled, she started getting everything else ready. Jo had picked up some paper plates to help reduce the dish count so she broke those out. She didn't get any cutlery or plastic cups because that shit doesn't decompose.

"Yo." Kisame said quietly as he came into the kitchen. It was still pouring outside and the back yard was starting to resemble a swamp. "The storm's still going."

"It's going to." Hanna explained. "It's not even fully hitting us. We're just getting the outer rings. I don't think the eye will hit us, so we should be fine."

"Why did you have us board up the windows then?" Kisame asked as she struggled with the plastic wrappings of the plates. He took it from her and bit the plastic, tearing it open for her.

"Shit's still going to get knocked around, so there's a risk of someone's trashcan or lawn ornaments flying through our windows." Hanna told him and he handed her the plates. "Thanks."

"No problem." He told her and moved over to the stove. He peered into the pot and frowned. "What are these?" He asked.

"Hot dogs." Hanna told him. "What's everyone up to?" Kisame shrugged and stood upright. "Jo's teaching a bunch of 'em how to play a card game."

"Draw two, bitch." Jo cheered and smacked down her card, grinning at Deidara. The blonde pouted and drew two cards.

"Harsh, man." He mumbled and Sasori put down his card. Konan followed suit, as did Kakuzu, Hidan, and then Tobi. Jo put down her card and deidara smirked, putting down a skip. "Sorry, Dana." He said sarcastically. Sasori just blinked. Konan also put down a skip and Kakuzu grunted. Hidan smirked and slapped down a draw four.

"Heh!" He laughed. "Draw four you loud ass mother fucker!" Tobi was bouncing in his seat, excitedly and set down his own draw four. "What the hell, you've been saving it?" Hidan shouted.

"Not everyone is as quick to waste their cards as you." Kakuzu pointed out. Hidan wipped his head to Kakuzu.

"Who asked you, old man!" He shouted.

"Draw eight, miss Jo." Tobi said cheerily. Jo just smirked and smacked down her own draw four. Deidara clenched his fist and all but growled in frustration.

"What the hell, yea?" He shouted. "What's your problem?" he shouted, pointing at Jo.

"That's for fucking reversing it on me!" She shouted back,

"it was a reverse!" He shouted.

"Shut up and draw your cards, brat." Sasori ordered. Deidara grit his teeth and Jo sat back smirking. Hidan watched her from his spot. She seemed fine, like she had completely gotten over what had happened that morning. He frowned and leaned back, thinking back. She looked terrified. It was weird seeing her like that. Jo was a collected young woman. Sure she was competitive and aggressive, but as far as he could tell, she handled stress with a level head. Seeing the pure, terror and panic on her face unsettled him and he wasn't sure why.

"Guys, food is ready." Hanna said as she walked into the room. She looked at the small circle they had going. Everyone was deadly serious and silently playing. It had been a while since she heard Jo and Deidara shouting. Pein looked at her from his spot on the couch, a book in his lap. She gave him a small smile in pity.

"What's for dinner?" Zetsu asked from behind her, startling her slightly. She was starting to get used to it, but she still jolted slightly.

"Some shit called hot dogs." Kisame answered. They didn't smell great to him. Zetsu followed him into the kitchen and Pein made his way over to Hanna. He stopped and she spoke to him with a small smile.

"It doesn't look like they're gonna move." She explained. "I'll dish out food to them. Can you go ask Lily and Itachi if they are hungry?" Pein's eyes slid to her.

"Are they together?" He asked.

"Yeah, they're in Lily's room last I saw." She explained. Pein nodded and left, walking up the steps. He knew which room was Lily's. The door was always open and a few of them had snooped around in there. Well, Kisame, Itachi, hidan, Deidara and Sasori had while she pretended to be knocked out. Pein crept up the stairs and down the hall. He stopped briefly and listened.

It was quiet. He could hear the rain pound the roof and the wind whistled past. Downstairs he heard chatter and dishes clattered. He allowed himself a small smirk. It was homey, and he surprised himself with how relaxed he had become. When they first arrived, he was on edge, as were the rest of them. They had no idea where they were or who they could trust.

The three women understood and accommodated to their needs without hesitation even though they knew who the Akatsuki was, and what they did. Pein found he was greatful for their kindness. Pein was touched by their acceptance. Surely it wasn't easy having your home being invaded by so large of a group, but these women proved to be more resilient than they seem. He didn't know why, but something told him these three women were more than just simple women. It almost seemed they had just as colorful a past as he and his people did. Well, for their world.

Pein walked over to Lily's room and stopped. He saw Itachi lying back with his eyes closed and his legs over the side of the matress. A book rested open on his chest with a hand over it and his eyes were closed. Lily had her legs on his lap and he could hear quiet snores through the melting bag of ice. He took a step into the room and Itachi's eyes snapped open. He stopped and the Uchia propped himself up on his elbows and nodded at PEin.

"Dinner is ready." He explained. Itachi nodded and sat up, gently patting Lily's ankle. She hummed and rolled over, and rolled off the mattress, letting out an off as the bag of ice water fell off her face.

"Sup, Uchia?" She mumbled and rubbed her face. "Ow."

"Dinner is ready." Pein repeated and she looked at himm and yawned.

"Hey, Pein." She mumbled and nodded before picking herself up. "What they make?" She asked as she stretched her arms.

"Hot dogs."

"Sweet." She said with a small smile. She picked up the bag of ice and brushed past Pein. The two men watched her go. "So hungry." She mumbled as she disappeared down the hall. Pein looked at Itachi and the Uchia met his gaze. Pein raised his eyebrows ever so slightly and titled his head and crossed his arms.

 _You seem to have made a friend._

Itachi quirked one eyebrow.

 _As have the others._ Itachi let a small smirk grace his features. _Even you are getting atttched._ Pein looked away and dropped his arms.

 _Let's go._ Itachi had won this round and Itachi left the room, following Pein downstairs to eat. When they got there, the kitchen was empty and a riot was about to start in the living room. Lily had joined in and seemed to be giving Jo a run for her money. A few people were out at this point and it was very clear the rest had decided to gang up on two people.

Lily, Deidara, and Tobi were duking it out against Hidan, Jo and Kakuzu. It was getting pretty intense and Hanna hovered, grinning ear to ear. For a card game, the three girls got pretty into it. Hanna was feeding Lily information behind their backs, but Kakuzu caught her and let a tentacle thing wrap around her ankle and drag her to the ground.

"She was helping them cheat." He stated.

"What the shit guys?!" Jo shouted as she stood and tried to stomp on Lily who just moved out of the way before shoving Jo to the floor. Jo started kicking Lily. "Fucking cheating bitch!" Lily climbed on top of her and started smacking her. Jo shot out her hand and slammed it into Lily's face, knocking her head back.

"You fucking broke my nose." She grunted. JO grabbed her hair and pulled, making Lily shriek.

"Hey!" Hanna barked out getting the girl's attention. "Knock it off. No more Uno." She ordered and started collecting the cards. Lily huffed and slapped Jo one last time before standing and Jo slammed her foot into her gut. Lily fell to the ground, struggling to breathe. Hanna rolled her eyes. "Can you two not start that shit?"

"Fight me." Jo mumbled as she picked up her plate from the table and sat in one of the chairs. Hanna just shook her head and started collecting empty plates and cups. She brought them all back into the kitchen and found Kisame and Zetsu grabbing more beans and hotdogs. She smiled at the two.

"I thought you didn't like hot dogs." She pointed out as she threw away the trash. Kisame and Zetsu turned to her.

"They smell funny." Zetsu stated and Kisame grinned.

"They taste pretty good though." He added and bit into a hot dog. Hanna chuckled and shook her head.

"Well, eat up. I'm about to start cleaning." She told them and grabbed the pot she used to boil the hot dogs. She started rinsing it and scrubbing it with soap. She turned the tap on and it sprayed her, startling her and Kisame and water got all over the floor.

"I'm not cleaning that up." Zetsu said as he startled to melt through the floor. Hanna huffed and Kisame grabbed some paper towels.

"I'll fucking rip his head off." Jo swore as she marched into the kitchen and headed straight for the wine bottle on the counter. Hanna laughed.

"I'm sure Kakuzu wouldn't mind helping." She teased. Jo scoffed and poured herself a glass. "Where's the baking pan?" Hanna asked and looked around. Jo looked over her shoulder and saw it on the table. She set down her wine.

"Found it." She mumbled and pat Hanna's shoulder. "I'll grab it." Jo walked over to the table and picked it up. Hidan came storming in.

"Hey!" He shouted as Jo started to head back to Hanna. "You can't just leave in the middle of a game!" He shouted. Jo looked over her shoulder and opened her mouth to bitch him out but tripped over Kisame and fell, dropping the ceramic and landing on top of it on her side.

The sound of the pan shattering filled her ear and seemed to echo. She rolled off her side and held herself up on her hands and knees. The world seemed to spin and she just stared at the ground in shock. The broken pieces were scattered all over. Was that blood?

She couldn't breathe. Her head hurt, the back of her head hurt and felt like it had been split open. Jo could hear Brian shouting at her. She had to clean it up. She could feel her heart racing as she reached out a shaky hand to start picking up the pieces.

"Jo." She heard someone say. "Jo stop apologizing, it's ok." She heard Hanna tell her. She frowned and looked to her side. Hanna had knelt down and was looking at her with concern. When did Hanna get here? Was she apologizing? "Jo?" Hanna asked and reached out a hand and rested it on her back. Jo slightly flinched away and ducked her head, closing her eyes. The room was spinning again. "It's ok, Jo. Jo, let go of the ceramic." Hanna told her and rested a hand on her friend's hand that was gripping onto the fragment so tight it was cutting her more. "Jo? You ok?" Hanna asked, watching her friend.

Hanna looked up. A few people had walked in, curious as to what was going on. Lily stood by the door with Itachi behind her. Pein had walked in, thinking Hidan was wrecking the house and a few others were peering in. Hanna shared a look with Lily who nodded. Lily tugged on Pein's sleeve, getting his attention. She nodded her head towards the door, telling him they needed some space. Everyone left except Hidan, Hanna, and Kisame. Hidan stood in the room while Kisame grabbed some clean paper towels. Jo lowered her face to the floor and grabbed her head.

She could feel something crash against the back of her head. How was she still awake? How was she still alive?

Hanna took the paper towels from Kisame with a nod of thanks and gently worked the shard out of Jo's grip and replaced it with a paper towel, trying to get her to stop bleeding.

"Jo, it's just me." Hanna spoke to her slowly. "You're ok, Jo. I got you." She told her. Hanna made sure to speak calmly. It took a few minutes, but eventually Jo reached out a hand. Hanna gently grabbed it and felt Jo squeeze. "Jo, can you hear me?" Jo nodded and pulled at the hair on the back of her head.

"My head hurts." She mumbled.

"You smacked your head on the floor." Hanna said. "Jo, you ok?" Jo nodded and sat back on her heels before standing. The room spun and she stumbled, but Hanna kept her upright.

"I uh…" Jo mumbled. "I'm gonna go upstairs, get cleaned up and shit." She explained and shuffled past the two men and down the hall. She stumbled up the steps and into her room. She left the door open and just dropped face first onto her bed.

She could still hear the shattering cookwear. She was so tired. Jo brought her hand up and looked at it. Why isn't there glass in it? She frowned, confused, before remembering that she had dropped a ceramic pan. He had hit her with a glass bottle. Not a pan. She closed her eyes and breathed in, she smelled her sheets. She was home, safe and sound. He couldn't get to her here. Besides, he didn't have the balls to try anything.

But there was another smell on her pillow. Jo frowned and opened her eyes. She sniffed her pillow and frowned, sitting up on the edge of her bed. She looked down at her hand. It was still bleeding into the paper towel and she could feel her pulse against her skin.

"Hey." A gruff voice spoke from her door way, tearing her out of her daze. She glared at the intruder. He stood there, making sure not to seem like he was blocking the exit. He was looking off to the side and scowling. "You good?" Jo just stared at him for a few seconds before standing and walking to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and gripped the sink.

Jo looked at her reflection and scowled. She looked exhausted and pale. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were red. Had she been crying? When had that happened?

She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face. It stung her hand and she stood there with water dripping down her face. Next, she stuck her hand under the water and watched the water turn redish. She took her time cleaning it and wrapping it up. She looked at herself in the mirror and scowled. She still looked pale and messed up. Jo pulled her hair back into a sharp ponytail but a few strands fell out around her face. She huffed. _Goddamnit._

"What was that about?" Kisame asked quietly after Jo left. He knelt down and started helping Hanna pick up the pieces.

"Jo used to get beat by this guy she was dating." Hanna explained. "This went on for about three years, solid. But before that they were off and on for a while. I'm not really sure how long." Kisame frowned and looked at hanna confused.

"She doesn't seem like the type to put up with that kind of shit." Kisame pointed out. Hanna smirked a bit.

"She's not." Hanna agreed. "But situations like that are hard to explain. He started out fine, one of the sweetest guys. They would fight, yeah, but no more than normal couples fight. Well, that's what it seemed like." Kisame looked at her, listening. Hanna just focused on picking up the broken pottery. "Lilys been sober for three years. Jo got rid of him about two years later. She had been trying to leave all through those two years, but she was more concerned with what he would do to the three of us if she left."

"You guys seem pretty solid." He pointed out. "I doubt he could've done much damage." Kisame watched her as she smiled up at him.

"Yeah." She said and chuckled a bit. "But Jo worries about us all. She likes to put the safety of others before herself."

"What finally got her to leave him?" Kisame asked as Hanna stood and walked over to the trash can. She started dumping the fragments in the trash. Kisame stood and brought his own fragments to the can. She shrugged.

"she just finally had the last straw." Hanna said. "Ya know, just in the form of a coma." Kisame blinked. Damn.

"She put up with a lot" Kisame pointed out. Hanna chuckled darkly.

"Oh, Kisame," She said with a sad grin. "you have no idea."

Jo spent her time in the bathroom, breathing and calming herself. The wind howling didn't help much. She gripped the sink and breathed. She took off her bra and pants and grabbed her tee shirt she always slept in. It was baggy and just barely past her butt. It was super soft and worn out and had a few tears here and there.

She looked at herself and sighed. Ah the hell with it, she was just going to sleep. Who was she trying to impress? Jo put her ear to the door and smirked. She didn't hear anyone and swung the door open, smiling to herself. But she stopped and scowled when she saw Hidan standing at her book shelf, snooping. Damnit.

Hidan turned and looked at her. She crossed her arms as his eyes roamed over her. His eyes traveled up her legs and enjoyed seeing her thighs again. He pushed away the memory of having them wrapped around him. He wasn't there for that.

Jo stomped across her room, ripped back her comforter and climbed underneath it. She rolled over and faced the wall. She wanted to ignore him. Maybe he would go away. Jo shut her eyes and tried to relax. She scowled as she felt the bed dip down. Jo glanced over her shoulder and saw Hidan was sitting on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees. He looked serious and she rolled back over, avoiding him. Hidan was quiet for a few minutes.

"My old man was the first guy I killed." Hidan admitted. "It wasn't for Jashin. It wasn't for revenge. It wasn't just for shits either." Hidan spoke carefully and made sure not to be too loud. "He used to beat the sit out of his wife. The broad was a lot stronger than she let on. And every time he honed in on me, she took it. She took all of it." Jo looked over her shoulder and listened carefully. "But she couldn't save me from everything. When I got older, and I finally learned how to fucking fight, he smacked her around for the last time. He beat the shit out of her before I got there. But I didn't get there in time." He admitted and Jo sat up, frowning. She looked at him and realized his own father killed his mother. "She was alive when I got there, and I killed him, but there wasn't anything the medics could do." Jo looked down into her lap. She felt shame for some reason. "I never blamed her. I never asked her why she stayed, I never resented her for it." Hidan looked at her steadily. "What happened to you happened. There's no fucking way to change that. I don't know exactly what the fucker did, but I swear to Jashin, I will never, ever fucking do what my old man did." He told her, looking her dead in the eye. Hidan rested a heavy hand on her thigh that was still covered by her comforter.

Kakuzu moved away from the keyhole and looked down at Lily with a smirk. She had her ear pressed to the shut door and seemed mildly impressed. Kakuzu elbowed her and the two walked down the hall.

"Damn," Lily mumbled. "Did not see that coming." She admitted and dug in her pocket for the money she owed. She pulled out a five and handed it to Kakuzu.

"Pleasure doing business with you." He told her.

"A lamp." Jo admitted. Hidan lifted an eyebrow. "On my back, it was a lamp. I went over to his place a few weeks ago to get something and ya know, we fought, and when I was leaving he smashed a lamp on my back." She explained and turned away from him and lifted her shirt. He could see the fresh scars on her back that were almost healed. It reminded him of branches of lightening. Hidan stared at them for a small while before gently tracing them. Jo let him and sat in silence, but was surprised when he started to tug her shirt down back over her scars. She turned back around to face him. He rested a hand on her head. Jo looked up at him curiously.

"You don't gotta be fucking scared of that sack of shit anymore." Hidan told her with a smirk. "Seems like you three bitches are just as capable as any of us." Jo quirked an eyebrow and smirked a bit. "SO I ain't gonna sit here and swear to protect you. 'Cause I know you can fucking take care of yourself." Jo smiled softly and shook her head, looking down. Hidan dropped his hand and leaned back onhis hands and noticed she was shaking. He frowned. "You ok?" He asked and then realized she was laughing. Jo started laughing softly at first before letting out a few barks of hearty laughter out. "The hell are you laughing at?" Jo shook her head and held out her arms, waving him over into her personal space.

"Shut up and come here, big boy." She teased as she wrapped her arms around the ninja. He quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her before wrapping one arm around her, returning the embrace. She hugged him for a small while and Jo breathed him in. He wasn't so much as a protective presence, but more of a reminder of her own strength. If she could beat the shit out of Hidan, she could take her ex. She began to feel safe because of her own strength and Jo could start to relax. She didn't flinch at the thnder anymore and the wind had returned to a calming howl to her.

Jo began to lean away but Hidan only let her lean away so far. She frowned and looked up. Hidan stared at her for a few beats before kissing her softly. It startled her at how gently and careful he could be. Jo let him guide her back onto the mattress and he kept an arm around her.

JO broke away only to reach over to the lamp near her bed and shut it off. He chuckled and kept kissing her. Jo let her fingers run through his hair as one of his hands ran down her side. Of course she wasn't completely over it, of course she was still going to have rough days, but for right now, she was alright.

Lily crept up the steps with two pieces of the lavender cake in her hands and smiled. The wind was howling but the house was relatively quiet. She could hear snores coming from Jo's room and smiled. It was a miracle either of those two got any sleep with how they snore.

Lily continued on to her room. Hanna's room ws silent wich wasn't a surprise since Hanna and Kisame were passed out on the couch. Everyone had slowly head to bed on their own. Pein and Konan were talking and Lily could hear their quiet voices, but she couldn't understand what they were saying. It wasn't her business so she didn't pry.

Kakuzu, herself, and Itachi were the last three to leave the living room. Kakuzu decided to get some sleep and Lily and Itachi ended up watching a show on her laptop. The two were sitting on her bed and watching it. They were a few episodes in when Lily go the munchies. She grabbed a slice for Itachi, figuring he would enjoy a slice as well. Zetsu had disappeared and she wasn't quite sure where he went.

Lily opened her door and saw Itachi standing in front of her bookshelf, He was looking at the books on the shelves, letting his fingers run over the spines. She smiled and walked over to him and handed over the plate. He looked at her and took the plate. He nodded in thanks.

"Thought you'd like something to munch on, too." She xplained and moved past him to sit on the bed. He sat next to her and leaned against the wall. She hit paly and also leaned against the wall. They were wtching a cartoon and every now and then, Lily would look over to him and catch a small smile on his face. It was small and hard to see in the dark, but it was there, and then Lily would smile.

They both enjoyed the cake and show in silence and after a few episodes went by, Itachi felt something drop onto his shoulder. He looked and saw the top of her head. He smirked to himself. She had a habit of falling asleep on him. He sat there for a little, letting her sleep. He watched the show for a little longer before letting it shut off. Itachi sat there in the dark, looking at the girl asleep on his shoulder.

Her blue hair was in two braids that fell across her shoulders. Her hair smelled like mint from her shampoo. She was wearing a blue and white striped top with black shorts. She had a thin black ribbon around her neck. Itachi allowed his head to drop down gently on top of hers. He let his eyes close and inhaled deeply.

Itachi relaxed and soon fell asleep. But before he did, he thought of her and how she smiled. She was ind and funny and she reminded him of a sunset after a storm ended. Her energy drew him to her and he never fought it.

So ive been listening to Melanie Martinez and I am in love with her music and music videos. And I've actually found some videos that go along with the three characters.

For Lily, the videos are the songs Soap/ Training wheels double feture.

For Jo, the double feature of Tag, you're it/ Milk and cookies.

For Hanna, the music video of Dollhouse and Sippy Cup. Mostly Dollhouse, though.


	13. Chapter 13

Kiss 13

Hanna was startled awake by something. You know when you're asleep but you feel like you're falling? It was that falling sensation that woke her up. Her bitch mother had to push her down the steps in her dream. She lifted her head off the pillow and rubbed her face. She could feel the lines from the pillow had made indents in her face. The light from the tv lit up the room slightly and there was a commercial on. Someone had thankfully muted the television.

Hanna stretched and rolled over on the couch and found herself squished against Kisame. His arm tightened around her, making her aware that it was there in the first place. She felt her face warm up. She could feel his chest against her and she could feel his muscles. She buried her face in his shirt, trying to hide here blush and to her further embarrassment, he startled to chuckle slightly.

Kisame rolled over on top of her. Hanna hid her face in her hands and Kisame chuckled and kissed her forehead before dropping to her ear.

"Why are you hiding?" He whispered and Hanna shivered while he slid another hand up and under her shirt, making her wiggle. She squirmed and laughed quietly and tried to grab his hands. Kisame smiled down at her. He had found a very sensitive area on her side and was constantly tickling her. He stopped and Hanna let her hands rest on his strong arms as she caught her breath and calmed herself. She looked up at him and saw him smiling and she looked up at him curiously and Kisame couldn't fight it. Her little look with the red on her cheeks did him in.

He lowered down and kissed her softly. After a few seconds she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hand started roaming over her smooth skin again. Hanna sighed into him as she opened her mouth and let his tongue slide in. He squeezed her chest and she moved up against him. His leg slid between her thighs again and pressed against her, making her moan. She let her fingers tangle in the soft blue hair and she tugged gently. Kisame let out what almost sounded like a low growl against her lips before breaking away from her. His hand traveled to her hip as he looked down at her.

Hanna's face was red and she was panting. Her eyes were half lidded as she looked up at him, mouth open, gasping for air. She let her fingers trail down his face. Kisame closed his eyes and leaned into her hand before she slid her fingers down his face and rested on his neck. She could feel his pulse under her fingers. It was racing.

Kisame dropped his head and she could feel his breathe on her ear right before he kissed under it so lightly, she giggled quietly. He trailed down her neck until he found the spot where he could feel her heartbeat against lips. He bit and Hanna arched against him, letting out a startled moan. He bit again and she moved against his leg. He pressed himself against her and let his hands roam. Her stomach flipped as his hands ghosted over her skin as he tugged her shirt upwards.

 _Don't drop that thun thun thun!_

"What the shit?" Hanna mumbled and rubbed her face, trying to wake up more. Both were pulled back to reality as her phone sang and vibrated on the coffee table. Kisame sat up enough to let her roll over and grab her phone. Neither were happy at the interruption.

"This is Hanna." She greeted professionally. He watched her frown. "Donny? What time is it? Why are you calling at two in the freaking morning?" Hanna asked. Kisame watched her face move from concern and into an intense focus. She sat up and Kisame sat back on his heels as she grabbed the remote. "Hang on, Donny." She said and unmuted the tv. There was a warning for the hurricane. Kisame sat and watched, not sure what he was seeing, until he saw the picture of the hurricane and the expected path of the eye. IT looked like it was going to get closer than they expected. He sat with his legs over the edge of the couch and rested his arms on his knees. He was startled when Hanna jumped up and walked past him into the kitchen, talking on the phone, not bothering to be quiet, but Kisame watched the weather. There was flooding already and some downed trees. It was a mess. "Alright, thanks, man. Stay safe." Hanna said as she hung up and walked back into the living room.

"What's going on?" He asked. "Everything ok?"

"We gotta go." She told him. "It's a hurricane three now, but the eye is heading right for us. They're gonna start evacuating." Hanna stared right at him. "We gotta go." She said before turning on her heels and running up the steps. She landed in the hall and sucked in a breath. "Every body up!" She shouted and flipped on the lights in the hall. She walked over to Jo's door and started banging on it until Jo wrenched it open, glaring and in only a nightshirt.

"What?" Jo hissed. "What the fuck do you want?"

"What's going on?" Lily asked, yawning as she opened the door with Itachi right behind her.

"It's a category three and the eye is heading our way." She said to Lily and Pein opened the door to his and Konan's room and the two stepped out. Hanna nodded at them. "Get your men, they're evacuating us." At the word evacuation, Jo and Lily seemed to have flipped a switch. Konan nodded and moved to the steps leading to the attic. Jo and Lily could hear the urgency in Hanna's voice.

"Shit," Lily said and stepped back into her room and started grabbing things. She tossed them on her bed.

"How long do we have?" JO asked as she moved with Hanna to her room. Pein followed the two rushing women while Konan went to wake everyone up. Hanna started pulling out some maps.

"I don't know when they are going to start evacuations." She told them. "We need to leave within the next hour if we want a chance of getting ahead of this storm and the traffic." Hanna told them as she, Jo and Pein headed downstairs. "If we can leave sooner, even better."

"Hidan!" Jo called up the steps. He came into view. "I need you down here."

"Kisame, turn the TV up," Hanna instructed as the past the living room. "Go pack your stuff and make sure everyone else is packing."

"Lily," Itachi asked before she could leave her room. She spun on her heal and faced him. "What can I do?" He asked.

"IS all of your stuff packed?" He nodded and she waved him to follow her. "Once everyone is packed, we have to put the stuff into the cars." She stopped. "Shit." Lily grabbed his wrist and began to run down the hall in the opposite direction. "Shit, shit, shit." He followed her as they ran downstairs.

"Where are we going?" Pein asked as Hanna stretched out a few maps.

"My family has a lake house over here." She pointed in West Virginia. "It's a good drive, but it gets us out of the storm's way." Jo looked over her shoulder and pointed at the roads they would have to use.

"If we don't leave now, these roads are going to be backed up if they aren't closed." She added.

"Why the fuck would they close them?" Hidan asked. Kisame joined them after he had grabbed his and Itachi's belonging and placed them by the front door.

"Flooding." Lily answered as she dragged Itachi into the kitchen. "If you're stuck in your car and the road is flooded, you will drown." She turned to Jo. "You got the shed keys? The roof of the bed of my truck is in there."

"Wow, that sucks." Jo said as she walked past them to get the key. "Hidan, you help her and Itachi. Kisame, you too, it's heavy."

"Pein, have everyone gather their things by the door." Hanna instructed. "Once that's done and the roof is on the bed of her truck, we can have some people throw things in while others help us get gear." Pein nodded, letting her take control of the situation. He was unfamiliar with this world and whatever challenges it would bring, but Hanna seemed to know what she was doing. Without another word, he dashed upstairs. Jo returned and tossed the key to Lily who caught it. As she did, the power went out.

"Oh, fuck." Jo mumbled. Hanna pulled out her phone and flipped on the flashlight app.

"Where did we put all the lanterns?" Hanna asked.

"Up stairs." Jo answered. "Lily, go get your truck set up." She nodded and Lily, Itachi, Kisame and Hidan headed out back. Lily opened the door and was almost knocked over by the wind as it whipped around her. She put her hand in front of her and trudged forward.

"Damn, can't see shit out here!" Hidan shouted as they made their way to the shed. Lily pulled out her phone and pulled one of the guys over and put her phone in their hand after she put on the flashlight app. It helped her see the lock and open the door. Kisame, who had held her phone, helped her pull open the door.

"There it is!" She shouted and pointed it out. "Kisame, hold the door and the light. Hidan, Itachi, help me push it out." They did as they were told and got it outside. Lily locked up and put her phone in her pocket. The rain poured and stung at their faces, making it hard to see. She instructed them where to go and they each lifted and edge of the roof and headed towards the gate where Lily pushed it open. They trudged through the swampy yard and each struggled to keep their footing.

Lily and Hidan climbed into the bed of the truck and helped guide it on. They had to climb under it and Kisame and Itachi pushed it up. Lily instructed Hidan how to anchor it.

"Guys, go start getting stuff and loading it up." Lily instructed while she and hidan finished up. "Get the keys for the other cars, too." Itachi nodded and they ran back up to the house, entering thought the front door. "You finish?" She asked Hidan.

"Fucking waiting on you." He told her over the raging storm. "Let's get the fuck outta here." He shouted and climbed out, handing out a hand to help her. The two ran back inside, almost tripping over the boxes and bags.

"How do you want these organized?" Konan asked, indicating the bags.

"We don't have much time to sort it. The people don't have to ride with their stuff." Lily explained. "I guess the coolers can go in my truck, so leave room for them."

"Lily!" Hanna shouted from the kitchen and came into the hall. "We're putting the camping gear and food in your truck. Clothes and other shit is going in our cars."

"where the shit is the camping gear?" Lily asked, looking around the room for it with her light.

"What camping gear?" Kisame asked, looking around as well.

"Like survival stuff, first aid stuff, sleeping bags, tents, that shit." Hanna explained. "It's still upstairs, just load up this stuff first. Jo's working on the food." She explained and tossed her the keys to her car. Lily caught it. She turned on her heal and ran out the door.

"Do you think the ice will last long enough, yeah?" Deidara asked as he kept grabbing ice from the freezer and dropped it in the coolers.

"It's going to have to." Jo said as she grabbed cans from the shelves, tossing it in a box. "Sasori, anything that's been opened, toss." She instructed. He nodded and continued pulling things from the refrigerator and putting it in the coolers. "We don't know how long we'll be there or if it'll spoil. Can't waist the space."

"Miss Jo!" tobi exclaimed as he bounced into the room carrying two small tents. "We got the camping stuff!"

"Good boy, candy man." She said and smiled at him. "Take it to the door, Lily will handle it. Did you guys grab your sleeping bags, too?"

"Those of us who had them." Kakuzu confirmed. "There were extras upstairs. We'll grab them next"

"Yes. And if you see any pillows, grab them, too." Jo instructed as they began to walk away. "Thanks guys." Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Tobi nodded before going to take care of their assignments. Everyone was working in the dark or by a lantern.

Hanna jogged back into the kitchen and grabbed her laptop. She logged on and used her phone for internet.

"Evacuations have been officially announced." She told Jo who swore. "I'm gonna go get dressed and grab my gear." She said and ran upstairs, taking the laptop with her.

"I need to pack, you guys got this?" Jo asked and the two nodded. She went upstairs to pack as well. She grabbed some clothes and shoved it in a duffle bag. She pulled on sweatpants and some rain boots before grabbing some other things. Next she grabbed two books and shoved them in. she added her laptop, charger, and phone charger before heading downstairs. She handed her bag off to Konan. "Have them put this in my trunk. Same as Lily's and Hanna's we will have our laptops in them." Konan nodded and took it.

Lily tossed another sleeping bag to Hidan who was crouched in the bed of her truck. They had tried to dry off the truck bed but ended up spreading out a tarp. Next she tossed him some small tents that Tobi handed her.

"If we put any more in Hanna's car, she won't be able to see out of the back." Kisame shouted as he came running over. Lily looked at him through the rain. She sighed and thought.

"How much room does Jo's car have left?" She asked.

"Not much." Kisame stated. Lily nodded.

"Fill up her car and we'll put the rest in mine." Lily said. "Worst case who ever sits in Hanna's car will have a bag in their lap." She explained and Itachi handed her another sleeping bag that she tossed to Hidan. Kisame nodded and ran inside.

Hanna tugged on some olive green cargo pants and her heavy duty work boots before pulling on a black t shirt. She threw some clothes in a bag and grabbed her chargers, shoving them in the bag as well. She shut down her laptop and pulled out a small tablet that the keyboard folded behind. She then looked on

her wall. She grabbed her picture of her an Anna, and then the one where Lily was able to leave rehab. She shoved them into the bag and went downstairs.

"Ok, this cooler's full, yeah." Deidara said as he carried a large blue cooler to the front door.

"It goes into the truck." Konan instructed. Deidara nodded nd Kisame came through the front door.

"Here, I got it, I'm already soaked." Deidara passed it off to him and returned to the kitchen. Pein made his way over to her. She looked up at him.

"Hanna is putting us in the passenger seat." He stated. "She called it shot gun. If something is to happen to her, Jo, or Lily, one of us will take over driving." Konan nodded. They were taking this pretty seriously and it honestly made Konan slightly nervous.

"Do we know who is going in which car?" Konan asked. Pein nodded.

"You are to drive with Jo. Itachi will be with Lily. I am going with Hanna. She will be at the front. Lily is to bring up the rear." He explained. Konan nodded and listened before letting her fingers lace with Pein's. He gave a small squeeze. Seeing ther three women tking this situation seriously told them that this storm was nothing to scoff at, and very member of the akatsuki had picked up on it.

"That's all the gear!" Kisme called to Hidan and Lily. Lily waved to Hidan and he started to move forward.

"Any more food?" Lily called. Kisame shook his head.

"No! Close it up!" With that, Hidan jumped out and Lily grabbed onto the upper tailgate, slamming it down while Hidan lifted the other one, slamming it shut. Jo's trunk was closed, telling Lily it was full. Hanna's was still open and they made their way inside.

"Hanna, what's left?" Lily called.

"Does everyone have their shit in the cars?" Jo called. Everyone nodded and Hanna came into the living room where everyone waited. "All the food's packed." Jo answered. Hanna nodded.

"Ok, I have driving arrangements." Hanna stated. "In Lily's truck, I want Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu. With Jo, it's Konan, Kakuzu, and Hidan. The rest are with me. Does everyone have everything?" Everyone nodded and Hanna picked up the lantern. "Alright let's go. Lily, Jo, I texted you the address. Put it in the GPS just in case we get separated, let's go!" She ordered and everyone ran out into the storm. Everyone scrambled into the cars and Hanna slammed her trunk shut before yanking open her door and climbing in. She turned on the car and turned on the radio, but turned it down. She handed her phone to Pein. "Let me know if I get a text from them." Pein nodded as he buckled up. "Is everyone buckled?" She asked, looking behind her. She saw everyone had their seatbelts on and nodded to herself.

Hanna looked and saw the other car lights turn on. She shifted into drive and rolled out of the driveway, followed by Jo, then Lily.

"Alright," She mumbled and looked at Pein who met her gaze. "Here we go."

"Goddamn." Jo mumbled as they drove through another puddle. Kakuzu and Hidan watched as the water sprayed higher than the windows. "I hope the creek hasn't flooded."

"How bad if it has?" Konan asked her. Jo shrugged.

"If it has, and it probably has," she added, "that means more of the roads will be closed, meaning more people on the roads we need. More traffic."

"That means we're stuck with your driving for longer." Kakuzu concluded and she glared at him through the rearview mirror.

"Would you rather swim?" She threatened. Kakuzu met her stare and answered honestly.

"I was not aware that was an option." He told her. Jo huffed and Konan chuckled, shaking her head.

"Man, this storm's fucking crazy." Hidan mumbled and the phone in the cup holder.

"Konan can you get that?" Jo asked. She had shown her how to use the phone, so she picked it up and read the text message. It was from Lily.

"There is a road closure." Konan announced, silencing any bickering. "It says Prosperity Avenue is closed. The water is up to four feet."

"We shouldn't be taking that route anyway." Jo explained. "We have to pass the city. As long as Arlington boulevard is alright, we should be ok."

"Looks like we weren't the only ones looking to get the fuck out of here." Hidan said as he looked out the window. Several cars were already on the road behind them. They felt the car jerk and swerve from the wind.

"Damn, this wind." Jo mumbled as she kept them in the lane. She could see Hanna swerving as well in front of her. She yawned and rubbed her eye. She was so tired. They should have made coffee. "If we get far enough away, maybe we can stop for coffee or something." It was barely three in the morning and it was hard to see. The phone buzzed again. Konan picked it up and read it.

"I…." she hesitated and frowned. "I don't understand it."

"Read it out loud. I can help." JO instructed her. Konan shrugged and started to read.

"Wilson blocked p-p-l go glebe." Konan said.

"What the fuck does that mean?" Hidan asked, confused by the message.

"The road we were going to take is blocked because of an accident." Jo explained and flipped on the blinker and changed lanes. So did Lily and Hanna. "We have to take another route."

"Is it going to take us long this way?" Kakuzua asked and Jo snorted. "What's so funny?"

"It'll be maybe a two minute difference." Jo explained. "Hopefully, we can beat traffic. If not, we'll have to ride out the storm in the car."

"Alright, Kisame." Lily announced. "Let me think, would you rather have your clothes three sizes to small or lose every game?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kisame asked, chuckling, as he looked out the window. Lily pouted.

"The was a boring question." Itachi agreed and Lily grumbled about making them walk.

"Fine," She stated. "Would you rather lose your hearing or never be able to urinate."

"I'd rather lose my hearing." Kisame answered. "Alright, my turn." He announced and sat and thought.

"Alright, Itachi." The man looked over his shoulder at his partner. "Have salt and lemon poured in your eyes or eat brains?

"What the fuck kisame." Zetsu's darker half said. "That's aweful." The white side added. Lily was laughing.

"Oh my god, that's terrible!" Lily said. "God, neither are pleasant."

"Brains." Itachi answered, startling everyone. "I would eat brains." Everyone sat and thought in silence for a few seconds.

"Honestly, yeah, so would I." Lily agreed. "Your turn, Itachi." The man sat quietly in the seat, thinking of a question to ask.

"Zetsu." He stated, catching the man's attention. "Slowly eat yourself to death, or never have any meat ever again." They all sat in silence, waiting for an answer until Kisame started laughing. Lily looked in her mirror and grinned. Zetsu looked absolutely appalled at the question.

"That was a cruel on, Itachi." Lily laughed.

"Yeah, man." Kisame chuckled. "Even I can't pick which is worse."

"I know, right?" Lily added. "God, I tried to give up meat for a month. I made it a day before I broke down and got a burger."

"I'd rather eat myself." Zetsu stated. Lily laughed and Itachi nodded.

"What? Man, that's a rough way to go." Kisame said to him. But Zetus was firm with his answer.

"What the fuck." Lily said, getting everyone's attention. They all looked at the car in front of them that was all over the road.

"Are they ok?" Kisame asked. Lily shrugged.

"I have no idea." She told them. "Itachi, grab my phone, please."

"I swear to God, I'll fucking beat the shit out of you and leave to rot in the flood!" Jo shouted as she reached behind her seat and kept smacking Hidan. Konan and Kauzu were trying to handle the situation. Konan was trying to keep the car straight and Kakuzu was trying to separate them.

"Fucking try it, bitch!" hidan encouraged. Kakuzu was having a rough time because Jo had a really good grip on him as she beat on him with her other hand.

"Oh my god, they're gonna wreck." Hanna mumbled, looking in her rearvewi mirror.

"What are they doing?" Sasori asked, looking out the back. Hanna just shrugged.

"Miss hanna?" Tobi asked as he had his mask pressed against the window. "Why is there a car in the creek?" He asked. Hanna frowned and started to slow down. She and Pein both looked.

"That used to be a road." She explained as they drove closer. "The driver must have gotten stuck and left it." They were about to drive past it when Deidara spoke up.

"There's still someone in there, yeah." He stated. "It looks like they got a kid, yeah."

"Jo, jo!" Konan raised her voice, pulling the crazy girl back into her seat. "They're pulling over."

"What the fuck, why?" Hidan shouted.

"How the fuck do I know?" Jo shouted back and started to pull over.

"Oh, no." Lily mumbled as they all pulled over.

"What?" Kisame asked. She turned off the car and unbuckled.

"You guys stay here." She ordered. "I'll be right back." Lily told them and jumped out of the car. They watched her run over to Hanna's car, followed by Jo as hanna jumped out and ran to the rising water. It looked as if Lily and Jo tried to stop her. Lily grabbed onto her and they could see the girls shouting at each other in the storm. Hanna broke free and kept running towards the water. Jo put her hands on her head and spun in a circle while Lily ran back over to her car. She opened the door and stuck her head in.

"What's going on?" Itachi asked her as she reached down and pulled a lever. They all heard a pop as the trunk opened.

"There's some people stuck in the car over there." She explained quickly. "Hanna wants to help them. Stay here." She said and ran to the back. She rummaged around before grabbing a bag and shutting it. Itachi recognized it as one of the camping bags they packed. It was bright orange and easy to see.

"Should we help?" Kisame asked.

"She told us to stay." Itachi pointed out.

"Yeah, but we could probably do more good than just sitting there." Kisame argued.

"I don't see the point in getting involved." Zetsu pointed out. Kisame and Itachi had to agree. Why should they help? They didn't know these people.

"Hanna!" They heard Jo scream. The three looked to find Hanna almost wasit deep in the water. She got knocked off her feet and disappeared.

"Shit, shit." Kisame mumbled as he opened the door, climing out. Itachi followed his partner and so did Zetsu. He didn't want to be the only one in the car and he was kind of curious as to how everyone would handle it.

The three jogged over to where Jo was standing. Pein and Konan had joined her. She had her hands over her mouth. Lily was ankle deep and Hanna resurfaced and kept heading towards a small patch of land that looked like a little island in the water. The car was close enough that she could jump onto the hood from there.

"What the fuck, hanna!" Jo screamed as the wind and rain whipped them. Lily began to follow Hanna and Jo started running to her. "Lily, goddamnit no! What the fuck is wrong with you two?"

"The fuck's your problem?" Hidan shouted as he joined the group. Jo whipped around to him.

"That current is gonna suck them away if they lose their footing!" She shouted. "It's a fucking miracle Hanna's still here.

"Hey," Kisame shouted to Lily as he jogged over to her. He could feel the rain soaking into his shoes. Lily was knee deep when he caught up with her. She looked to him. "Stay here. I'll go make sure she gets back." He explained. Lily looked to him for a minute and thought. After a few seconds she nodded.

"Be careful." She shouted. "If you get sucked under, there's a chance you won't come back up." She wanted. Kisame smirked.

"Won't be a problem." He told her.

"It will be if we lose you." Lily reminded him. "And Hanna doesn't have gills!" Kisame looked a her. She was scared for both of them. He nodded at her and made his way over towards Hana. She was waiting for him.

It took him a small while to get through the water. While he was doing that, Lily climbed back out of the water and Jo ran over to her.

"Do we have anything they can use to break that glass?" Jo asked Lily who shook her head.

"Not that I know of!" She shouted over the wind. She looked to the cars and they could still see the lights on. "I'm going to bring the truck over to give them some light!" Jo looked over to the cars as well.

"I can move Hanna's" Konan offered. Jo nodded to her as Lily ran over to her truck.

"Just be careful." Jo warned her. "Go in reverse and go slow, you might get rearended by someone if you end up on the road again!" Konan nodded and returned to the car. "Pein, Itachi, you guys stay here in case those two need help. Hidan, Zetus, get back in the cars, the less people outside right now the asier it is for us to get the lights on them.

"You good?" Hanna shouted over the wind at Kisame as she offered him a hand. He took it and she hauled him up onto the mound of earth.

"I'm good." He told her. "What's the plan?"

"Didn't think that far ahead!" She answered and took a few paces back. She ran and jumped, landing on top of the car. Kisame could hear two people screaming. Then light started to shine in their direction. He looked back and saw the three cars were facing in their directions, giving them light. He looked back at the car that hanna was crouched on. There was a little girl stuck in there with her mother.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna help you!" hanna shouted and motion with her hands. "Cover your eyes!" She instructed and began to stomp on the glass. She focused on the crack that was already there. It didn't budge and she turned to Kisame. "Help me!" She shouted urgently. He jumped over and steadied himself. He looked at her and saw the determination mixed with sheer panic. He grabbed she shoulders, steadying her and making her look at him.

"We'll get them out." He promised. "We'll get them out, you got trust me." Hanna looked at him and nodded. He counted down and they started stomping on the glass. The crack spread and eventually they shattered the glass. Hanna fell a bit onto the dashboard. "Hanna!" He called, grabbing her arm. "You alright?"

"Yeah." She told him and turned to the woman. The woman handed over her daughter. Kisame stood on the hood and looked over to the people near the cars. He could hear them shouting.

"Kisame!" Someone shouted. He saw two figures pointing wildly. He followed where tehhy were indicating and his eyes widened. He knelt down and grabbed Hanna.

"Hanna, hold on!" He warned her as a downed tree came barreling towards them. Hanna grabbed him and the steering wheel as the car was slammed into. It started to be carried awy by the current and Hanna stood, pulling the girl with her.

"Kisame, take her!" She said, passing the kid off to him as she started to help the mother out. The car was rocking and they were all unsteady. It got caught on something and stopped suddenly, making everyone stumble. Kisame took this opportunity to jump back to the little island. He could't make it, but he was close enough. He set the little girl down and went to turn, but she clung to him, terrified and crying. He had to actually stop and process that a child was looking to him for protection. How many times had people, mothers, children, fathers, looked at him in fear and disgust? "Kisame!" Hanna called to him, catching his attention. He turned and let the kid cling to his leg. The woman jumped from the car. Well, Hanna all but pushed her.

Kisame caught the woman and kept her from being pulled away by the current. Then he heard something crash into the car. He looked and saw it was rolling, being pushed by the tree and other heavy debris. It was starting to move away in the current and Hanna was crawling over it, trying to stay out of the water. His eyes widened as he remembered what Lily told him. He couldn't let her fall into the water. He watched as Hanna stood. He took a few steps deeper into the water as she leapt. She was too far away, they both knew that.

Hanna landed in the water and was completely submerged. She expected to be able to touch the ground. She couldn't so she kicked and tried to resurface. She broke it and waved.

"Kisame!" She called out, getting his attention.

"Look out!" He shouted as the woman screamed. Hanna looked to the side and was struck by a large branch. She tried to get out of it's way. It still struck her, knocking the wind out of her. Kisame grabbed the kid and the woman, ushering them up higher onto the island. "Call for help!" He told them. "There's people over on the grass, they'll help you! Go!" He told them. The woman nodded and grabbed her crying child.

"Where's Kisame and Hanna?" Lily asked as they watched. It was hard to see. They could make out Kisame and the woman carrying her child. The woman was wading through the water. Lily started walking into the water herself to meet them.

"Lily!" Jo called, not happy that her second friend was in the water. Lily waded out to meet the woman and helped her and her kid get to the grass.

"Your friend," the woman told her, panicking as she held her crying daughter close, "you're friend was hit by a branch." Jo just stared at the woman while Lily grabbed her shoulders.

"Did she come back up?" She shouted over the wind. The woman shook her head.

"I don't know." She admitted sadly. "I don't know. He told us to go before I could see."

"Watch her!" Lily said to Itachi before running into the water. Jo swore and followed.

"Lily! Lily, don't!" Jo shouted as she tried to catch up with her. She grabbed Lily's arm hard, stopping her. "Lily, no! You'll make it worse!"

"What the fuck-" Lily started to argue but Jo cut her off.

"If you go under it means two people need help!" She explained. "If we get in the way, hanna won't get out of this!"

"I can't just sit here!" Lily argued.

"Damnit, Lily, you have to." Jo argued and grabbed her other arm. "Lily, trust me! Trust me!" Lily looked at Jo. She did trust Jo. Jo could see the fear in her friend's face and couldn't help but feel the same. She pulled Lily into an awkward embrace.

"I'm scared, Jo!" She shouted into the wind.

"I know." Jo told her. "SO am I, but we gotta do this smart!"

Hanna struggled against the current, trying to figure out which way was up. She swam and kicked and struggled, trying to grab out for something to help pull her out of the water. She struggled and fought but was caught off guard when she hit the branch again. The branches scratched against her and she felt something sharp, sharper than wood, scraped against her side. She could feel the air escape her mouth.

Kisame swam out to where he saw her go under. Hecouldn't find her. Damnit, where could she be? He ducked under the water and tried to see. It was too dark and too murky. It was so dirty he had to resurface for air. He coughed and went back under, letting the current take him. He had to find her. He was running out of time. He resurface for air and looked around.

He was startled when something broke the surface. It was hanna. She was struggling, panicked.

"I'm stuck!" She called out. "Help me!" She called out desperately. She need his help and Kisame's chest beat wildly as she was pulled back under. He dove into the water again and swam as fast as he could. He needed to get to her.

Hanna was pulled under again and she tugged her foot. It was stuck on something and she fought desperately. Debris struck her as water rushed past her. She couldn't hold her breathe for long and her lungs were on fire. Was he going to get to her in time? Would he even try? How long had she been under?

Hanna couldn't breathe. That's all she knew. She hurt and ached and she gasped out, trying to get air, only to have water flood her lungs. It burned and she screamed into the water. She struggled some more, exhausting herself. She was so tired. She couldn't see. God, the water was so cold.

Hanna slowed her movements as her heart pumped harder and faster. Her head was fuzzy and she couldn't tell if her eyes were open or not. All should could feel was the pain and the water. She could hear it rushing past her.

Hanna was vaguely aware of feeling someone grab her arm. They tried to pull her but something stopped her.

Kisame saw her foot was stuck on a hose and he reached down, ripping it off her before pulling her up to the surface. He broke the surface, panting for air, and pulling Hanna up with him. She coughed before going completely limp.

"Hanna!" He called to her. "Hanna, wake up." He ruged. She was out. He had to get her to land quickly He wrapped one arm around her and used the other to help swim. Once he could feel the ground, he trudged through the water and pulled her up. Kisame pulled one arm around his shoulders and wrapped one arm around her waist. He walked like that over the island and towards the cars.

They all stood in the rain in silence. Everyone had gotten out of the cars to wait for their two friends to return. Jo had lent the woman her phone and someone was on their way to pick them up. Everyone stood in a line, watching, waiting. Konan rested a hand on Jo's shoulder. Jo and Lily were holding each other's hands tightly. Lily was fighting tears. Jo kept her face still. Lily looked up at Itachi, worried for him. That was his partner out there.

Not knowing what to do or how to communicate her thoughts to him, she reached out and laced her fingers between his. He accepted it and held her hand gently. She offered a slight squeeze that he returned.

"I see them, yeah!" Deidara cried out, startling everyone. "He's got her, yeah!" They all looked and Lily and Jo shone flashlights, looking for them. Some of the Akatsuki held lanterns and set them on the gorund.

"Oh, god." Lily mumbled as she saw hanna. "Oh, god, no." She said and ran into the water. Jo couldn't stop her. Lily came up next to them and wrapped Hanna's other arm around her shoulders and helped get her to the grass.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked Kisame as he dropped to the ground after he and Lily set Hanna on the grass. Itachi had knelt next to him. Kisame nodded and watched hanna. Lily stood and back away as Jo started giving her chest compressions.

"Oh, Hanna, no." Lily said and covered her mouth. Konan stood next to her with an arm around the tall girl's shoulders. Konana rubbed her arm. They watched as Jo stopped the compressions and breathed into Hanna's mouth. Hanna coughed violently and Lily dropped next to Jo, helping her roll Hanna. Everyoen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank heavens." Konan breathed. Pein, who stood next to her hummed and nodded his head. He had been concerned for his crew member, and also for the girl who had shown them hospitality. Hanna kept couching up water and vomiting. Lily was crying at his point and Hanna lay back in the grass, just breathing. Jo was moving hair out of her face.

"Are you alright?" Jo was asking her. She nodded.

"Kisame." She gasped out. "Where-"

"Right here." He told her and she rolled her head to the side, looking at him. She smiled at him and stretched out her hand. Kisame looked at it before taking it. He smirked back at her.

"Thank you." Jo said to him. "Thank you for saving her." Kisame just smiled and waved it off.

"It's nothing." He tried to argue, but the girls wouldn't have it.


	14. Chapter 14

The small caravan had continued on with the rest of the evacuation traffic. In Lily's truck , all were silent. All that was heard was the wind, rain, the radio was turned down low. The only noise coming from the occupants were Kisame's snoring. Lily would often glance back to the sleeping shark man.

If he had not been here, if none of the Akatsuki had been here, would Hanna be alive? Would they had been in that situation? Most Likely they would have been, so Hanna should be dead. One of her best friends should be dead.

Lily wrung her hands on her steering wheel and was startled when it jerked from the wind outside. She righted the truck and kept on. She kept her gaze on Jo's car before her, except for when it flicked back to Kisame.

"I wish today it will rain all day," So rapped under her breathe with the music that played from the strereo. "Maybe that will kinda make the pain go away. Trying to forgive you for abandoning me," She didn't notice she was starting to sing slightly loudre than a whisper and konan could hear her perfectly. The blue haired woman listened with a small smile. "Praying but I think I'm still an angel away, Angel away, yeah strange in a way. Maybe that is why I chase strangers away. They got their guns out aiming at me-"She had glanced at Konan and smirked but stopped singing.

"You don't have to stop, you know." Konan mentioned with a small smile.

"Yes, she does." Hidan mumbled from the back seat. "Bitch needs to shut the fuck up and drive." Before Jo could respond, Konan turned in her seat, with her smile on her face and mumbled something to Hidan. Jo couldn't quite catch it, but she watched Hidan's face pale in the mirror.

"Damn, Konan, what you say to him?" Jo asked with a smile. "Tell me your secrets." Konan winked at her and Jo chuckled until the car jerked from the wind, startling everyone. Jo righted it quickly.

"What the hell was that?" Kakuzu asked, thinking it was her driving.

"The wind is getting strong enough to push the car." Jo explained. "If I'm not careful I could let it run us into the next lane."

"Should we stop?" Konan asked. "It's already difficult to see the road." Jo shook her head.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Jo answered, shaking her head. "I can see the lane markers and Hana's lights ahead of me. If we all stop on the side of the road, we risk getting hit by other cars."

"How long have we been driving, anyway?" Kakuzu asked, rather irritably, he even stretched his stiffening legs. There wasn't much room.

"About two hours, I think." Jo mumbled, shifting in her seat herself. "We got about three or four more hours, I think."

"Fucking what?" Hidan shouted. "Man, we shoulda just taken our fucking chances."

Pein watched from his seat as Hanna shivered and messed with the heating. This was the hundreth time she adjusted the heating. She looked exhausted, too.

"Are you well?" He asked her. She glanced at him and nodded before sniffing and rubbing at her nose.

"Just think I'm gettin' a head cold." She explained dismissvely. "All the stress, ya know?" Pein nodded and didn't argue. He wasn't quite sure that's all it was, but he didn't push it. She seemed clamy and pale. "At least we're off the highway."

"Will we be arriving soon?" Sasori asked. Hanna looked in the mirror at him briefly and nodded.

"We should be there soon." Hanna confirmed. "I just hope a tree hasn't fallen on it." They sat in silence for a small while until Hanna spoke again. "So, I have a question." Pein just looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "How did you guys even get here?" The question startled Pein. They had spent so much time trying to adjust and settle in and then the storm hit, they had all forgotten about the fact that they had to have gotten there somehow.

Pein thought back on what had happened. He and a few people from the group had just confronted Naruto and a few of his friends.

"I am unsure." Pein admitted after a few moments of silence. "We had just approached the Nine-Tails and his group." Pein explained and Hanna frowned, confused. She didn't remember that in the anime. "Neither side was attacking, therefore I have reason to believe this was not their doing." Pein explained. "We were negotiating when a portal opened up underneath us, pulling us in, but leaving the others."

"Were all of you there?" Hanna asked. Pein shook his head. Hanna frowned again.

"There were only a small selection of us." Pein explained. "Many of our members had died in battle at this time. Seeing them alive again was as much of a shock as being in a different world."

"That's super weird." Hanna stated. "Is there any jutsu in your world that is anything like it?" Pein sat and thought for a while before shaking his head. They sat there in silence for a small while until Hanna spoke up with an idea. "What about a summoning jutsu?" She asked. Pein looked at her. "When you guys use a summoning jutsu, does it work in a similar fashion?"

"Perhaps." Pein nodded. "But who would be strong enough to create a summoning jutsu that would work across universes?"

"That is an excellent question." Hanna admitted, deflating a bit. "Most likely, it is someone from your world. We don't have anyone who can do anything like that in our world." Pein nodded. "But don't give up hope." She told him and looked at him briefly, offering a small smile. "We will find a way to get you guys home. And until then, you are welcome to stay with us." Hanna added with a smile at Pein. He just looked at her funny. She was so accepting of them it was a little weird.

A part of him told him there was something she wanted from them. Perhaps she had her own agenda that benefit from their presence. The other half of him pointed out that since their arrival, the Akatsuki had done nothing to improve the women's ways of life. For some reason, he felt a small pang of guilt at that. The three had taken them in without hesitation, and they haven't even helped in any way besdies destroying the kitchen. Perhaps he should look into changing that.

Pein was thinking all of this while staring at Hanna who coughed slightly every now and then. She felt him staring and glanced his way, frowning slightly.

"Something wrong?" She asked. Pein didn't answer and just looked out the window, watching the trees go by as they bent in the wind and the rain on the window. Odd child.

Lily smiled softly to herself when she saw Zetsu had also fallen asleep. She looked ahead again, but still smiled. Just the breif glance told her bothe men in the back seat were asleep. And she could even hear Zetsu snoring slightly.

She could feel the truck jerk in the wind and kept it as steady as possible. She didn't want to wake anyone or run into the next lane.

The truck was quiet for a long while, the only sound being the low radio. She didn't mind the silence usually, however, she was tired. She could feel herself starting to nod off. Not even the adrenaline rush from earlier could keep her awake now. That was hours ago, it wore off. She wrung her hands on the steering wheel and felt her stomach twist into knots when she thought about talking to the stoic man next to her. She couldn't see what he was thinking and it freaked her out. Everyone else she could read like a book, she knew where she stood. But this group, especially this man, nothing.

"So," she spoke quietly to him. "how are you holding up?" Itachi turned to look at her before nodding.

"I am well." He answered. "And yourself?" She nodded and hummed.

"We should be there in an hour or two, depending on how bad the road are." She told him. Itachi nodded. She tried to thikn of something else to ask him and struggled but then smiled when an idea struck her. "How do you like the book so far?" She asked. "Watership Down?" Lily saw Itachi reach down and lift his bag to his lap. He dug around for a few seconds before pulling out the book. Lily smiled. He liked it enough to bring it with him.

"It is an odd story." He admitted. "However it is interesting, seeing the world from a rabbit's perspective." Lily laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, it gets weirder." She mentioned. "How far have you gotten?"

"These friends, keep talkin' way too much," Jo an Konan sang loudly together. "Say I should give you up!" Kakuzu and Hidan just looked at each other, not sure how to handle this. They just let the two dangerous women sing.

The music was replaced by Jo's phone ringing. She sighed and turned the volume down before unplugging the phone from the aux cord. She answered it and set it on speaker.

"Hello?" She asked, slightly exasperated.

"Hey, hun." A voice spoke. "It's Hanna. Lily, you on?" Hanna asked.

"Yep, I'm here." Lily's voice came over the phone. "Did you guys know Zetsu snored?" Hidan roared with laughter.

"Shut it, big boy." Jo said. "So what's the call for?"

"We are almost to the lake house." Hanna announced. "We are about a half an hour out. Keep an eye out for deer, downed trees, things like that."

"Yes, mom." Jo smirked and teased.

"Don't sass me, Daddy." Hanna laughed and responded.

"God, you two are weird." Lily said.

"Ok, I'm hanging up now." Jo said.

"But, I love you so much!" Hanna whined before Jo ended the call.

"God my friends are weird." Lily said to herself with a smile on her face.

"We are almost to the lake house." Itachi stated. Lily smiled and nodded.

"Yes, can you do me a favor and keep an eye out for deer?" Lily asked. "They like to jump infront of the cars." Itachi nodded and started looking. It was difficult to see with regular eyes in the dark with the rain.

Jo and Konan were singing along to another song while Kakuzu and Hidan sat quiet. Kakuzu was looking out the window, watching the trees bend. Shouldn't they have been far enough away from the storm? Hidan rested his head on the window and looked outside as well.

Before long the song ended and the two stopped singing. Jo turned the radio down and watched the windshield wipers swish back and forth. She could see Hanna's vehicle in front of her a good distance, she knew better than to tailgate Hanna.

"Shouldn't we be away from the storm by now?" Kakuzu asked, taking advantage of the music being quieter. Jo looked at him from the rearview mirror briefly before turning her attention back to the road. She opened her mouth to answer him but yelped in surprise instead. Jo slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel, trying to keep from hitting the tree that just fell on the road in front of them. Konan had grabbed onto the handle on the ceiling and braced herself against the dash while Hida and Kakuzu braced themselves against the ceiling with their hands as well to keep steady. A string of curses flew from Jo and Hidan's mouth. Kakuzu mumbled a few shits but Konan remained silent. The small car slammed against the tree and everyone Jerked. Hidan and Jo both smacked their heads against the window, but Jo put her arm up to try to cushion the blow.

Hidan and Jo both groaned as they sat up right. Kakuzu rubbed where the seatbelt had been tight against his neck, as did Konan.

"Everyone ok?" Jo asked as she looked around the car. Konan and Kakuzu nodded and Hidan was fine. He was just going to have a headache.

Lily watched in horror as her friend's car slammed into the tree. Itachi's eyes had widened slightly and Lily slammed on the brakes, waking up Kisame and Zetsu. Once the car stopped, the two looked ahead and saw.

"What the hell happened?" Kisame asked and leaned around the seat to look ahead. "Did it hit them?"

"No." Itachi answered. "But they did run into it." Lily began unbuckling her seat belt and leaned back and reached the floor behind her for her raincoat and slid it on.

"I don't see anyone moving." She said breathly as she jumped out of the truck, running over to the car.

"Hey Hanna, yeah." Deidara said. "I think a tree hit Jo's car, yeah." Hanna slammed on the brakes, sending everyone forward. She looked in the mirror and saw the tree in the road and turned the trailblazer around. She parked it next to the tree and opened her door.

"Wait here." She said and hopped out, not bothering with a jacket. Pein opened his door as well and slid out, following Hanna. Hanna grabbed some branches and pulled herself up and over the tree and hopped down. Pein followed suit and landed next to her quietly. She looked at him but didn't say anything. She didn't mind him tagging along.

Jo looked to her right as Konan's door was opened by Lily. The car lights went on and she grimaced. Everything was kind of fuzzy sounding and she shook her head, trying to clear it.

"You guys ok?" Lily asked. Konan nodded and looked to Jo. Lily saw Jo dozing. "Jo?" She asked, getting the girl's attention. "You good?"

"Hm?" She asked and thought for a second before nodding and grimacing. "I'm good. Let's get out of the car guys." She suggested. Konan unbuckled and slid out quickly, extending a hand to Jo who took it.

"Jesus, Jo." Hannah said as she and Pein jumped off the tree trunk. "How hard did you hit the window?" Jo looked at her friend, confused, as Lily grabbed her chin and pushed her head to the side, checking her friend's face. Blood was dripping down the side of her face. Jo blinked a few times and shoved Lily's hand away.

"Looks like the car's ok." Hanna said, coming back from looking at the front and side. She had walked away while Lily checked on Jo. Lily faced her when Kakuzu took Jo's face in one of his large hands and looked at her. She glared at him but he didn't care.

"Oh that's good." Lily said and looked at the tree. "tree doesn't look so bad, can we move it?"

"Either that or we have to ride out the storm here." Hanna said. The wind was starting to pick up again and they were starting to have to shout.

"Let's get everyone to pitch in." Lily suggested and before long, they had a large group dispersed along the tree on both sided. As a group, they all started to pull the tree. It wasn't too thick, but it was tall and the branches made it difficult. The group stopped when it was halfway off the road with enough space for a car to get around it. They couldn't force it much farther, it was stuck there for now.

Everyone piled into their cars quickly, wanting out of the storm. However, before Jo could get back into her seat, Kakuzu grabbed her, pulling aside.

"What do you think you're doing?" He asked her.

"I'm driving, shit for brains." She argued and yanked her arm out of his grip, almost knocking herslef over in the process. She shook her head, trying to stop the dizziness, it didn't work.

"Over Hidan's dead body." He said and turned to Konan, stopping her from getting in the car. "Konan, you need to drive." Konan nodded and closed her door, coming around the car. JO huffed and went to the passenger's seat and buckled up, crossing her arms. Stupid fucking concussion. She closed her eyes and sighed. Someone kicked her seat harshly.

"No sleeping." Kakuzu ordered. Jo whipped around and glared at him. She didn't stop glaring until Konan started driving. She sat correctly with her arms still crossed. She could feel the car shifting in the wind.

"Try not to overcorrect." She instructed. "If possible, try your best not to let the car swerve. I'll text hanna to slow down. With this weather we don't need….." Jo trailed off and zoned out until Kakuzu kicked her seat again. "Why the fuck you kicking me?" She snapped.

"You stopped talking in the middle of a sentence. You were going to tell Hanna to slow down." He explained. Jo looked at him confused but nodded anyway. She picked up her phone and started typing. Within minutes, ,the car ahead of them slowed.

Lily checked the time. It was early morning now, and if the storm hadn't have followed them, they sky would be lighter with the sun just starting to think about rising. Lukily, the storm didn't follow too much, the eye was in Virginia and estimated to head north, not west.

"We should be there any minute now." She said quietly as she looked for something on the road. "The drive way should be just around this bend here." She explained as the caravan followed the road around the corner. Trees surrounded them on each side, the thick forest stretching on indefinitely. She heard a loud yawn in the back seat and glanced in the mirror to see Kisame waking up and rubbing his face. She smiled gentely but focused on the road as she turned down a gravel road. The branches of some of the trees and bushes brushed her truck as they rolled slowly down the path.

"Is this it?" Kisame asked as they drove. Lily hummed and nodded. "Finally. Need to stretch out my legs."

"Same." Lily said nodding as they pulled up to a cabin. It was one story and fairly small. Lily parked near the door. "We're here." She announced and smiled at Kisame and Zetsu. "If we unload everythign quick enough we can pass out." She said as she opened her door nd pulled her hood up, stepping out into the rain and shutting the door behind her. Kisame grunted.

"Damn, wish we could wait until the rain stopped at least." He mumbled.

"The food will spoil." Itachi said as he stepped out into the rain as well. Kisame rolled his eyes and stepped out as well. Zetsu left last and stood in the rain, just enjoying it. Lily let him be with a smile, understanding he most likely hasn't had proper nutrition since he arrived in this world.

Lily popped open her trunk and climbed in. She grabbed a few items and passed them out. Then she grabbed a few bags herself and carried them to the front porch where a few others were waiting. She stood there confused for a few seconds until she realized Hanna wasn't on the porch.

"Hanna!" Jo shouted from the porch. Hanna's head popped out of her trunk as she looked at the group. Then realization struck her and she ran over, digging in her pockets. She flew up the steps and past everyone to get to the door.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." She mumbled as she unlocked the door and swung it open, letting the screen door rest on her. She held it open as people began to file in. There was a small entry hall and after that, to their left was a large living room with another hall on the opposite end leading to bedrooms. The living room had a coffee table and two couches and two love seats. "Just toss the sleeping gear in the living room. Food goes in the kitchen to the right." She said to Sasori and Deidara who were carrying a cooler each. They nodded and headed to the kitchen.

Sasori flipped on the light and Deidara blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light. The area was roomy and divided by a small bar. It seperated the cooking area from the dining area where a small table for four rested. They set the coolers on the counter and Sasori began to leave.

"Dana, yeah, I'm gonna start unpacking." Deidara said and waved Sasori on. Sasori looked at the blond and nodded before leaving.

Jo, Hidan, and Kakuzu were grabbing things from Lily's truck, having already finished emptying her small trunk. Jo followed Kakuzu and Hidan in the rain. She couldn't help but look down at the mud and puddles at her feet. She smiled and looked up to the sky that was starting to lighten as the sun thought about rising. They had been driving all morning and were exhausted. Even though she had to swap out with Konan, she was still tired, and the rain felt refreshing on her face. She stood there, smiling at the sky with her eyes closed.

"Hey!" Hidan called from the porch. "What the fuck are ya doing?" Jo shook her head, feeling a little goofy, and continued on to the porch. Hidan pushed the door open again and walked in. Kakuzu was about to follow when he heard something fall into the mud. He turned and say Jo lying face down in the mud. He dropped what he was carrying and made his way over to her.

"Jo!" hanna shouted from the porch, already on her way out. She crouched next to Kakuzu as he gently rolled her over. Pein and Konan, who were by Hanna's vehicle, joined them. "Wht happened? Is she ok?" Hanna asked. Kakuzu was silent as he checked her. "Jo?" Hanna called as she gently shook her friend's shoulder.

"She's out cold." Kakuzu stated. "Other thank that, I think she's ok. Let's get her inside and out of this miserable weather."

So it took so long and im soryy its so dull.


	15. Chapter 15

Jo opened her eyes, blinking rapidly, and was confused on where she was. She sat on a cushion and was leaning on a low table. She didn't recognize the table, or the floor, or the room. Hell, she didn't even recognize the teacup before her.

But then she heard humming, and smelled something cooking. Jo turned to look behind her and saw the kitchen. She was lanky with teal hair cut to her shoulders with a small bandana and an apron on. She wore cargo shorts that dropped to her knees and a tank top. She stood barefoot, humming, cooking, with morning sunlight shining through the window.

The girl in the kitchen was happy. She was so happy, so relaxed, so free. Jo almost didn't recognize her friend. Jo was about to get her attention, but was taken off guard when a sleepy Itachi, with his hair loose around his shoulders, and still long, shuffled in and stood behind her.

His arms wound around her waist and his head rested on her shoulder, nose buried in her neck. A giggle escaped Lily.

"Good morning, love." Lily said to him and turned her head. "Makin' some eggs. How you like 'em?"

"the way you usually make them is fine." He offered. Lily hummed again and the room grew quiet.

"Is Sasuke joining us?" Lily asked. Itachi remained silent and the room grew cold. So cold frost began to creep over the table. The fire on the stove went out as darkness fell from the window and engulfed the room. Itachi had taken a step back, and Lily turned to face him, revealing a pregnant belly. "He hates me." Lily announced but her voice was warped and genderless. Her face began to flake off as everything swirled together, like paints when they first begin to mix.

All the sounds, all the colors, all the smells, blending together, swirling, until they settled to form a new picture. There were a group of people walking along a path. Kisame and Itachi walked on the outer edges. Itachi held the hand of a small girl, who also held the hand of Hanna. Hanna and Itachi would lift the child occasionally as they walked, making the small girl with curly dark hair giggle.

Jo felt herself running. She could feel her lips move and the faces of the adults lost their relaxed composure. Hanna scooped up the child and fled, leaving darkness in her wake. The darkness expanded quickly and the force of it knocked Jo backwards. She felt herself falling until her back hit something firm. She looked over her shoulder to find she was leaning against someone.

This person turned around and his magenta eyes found hers. A silver eyebrow quirked and a smirk made its way across his face. He handed her something and she felt herself smile before leaning against him again and faced her friends. Hanna was lying down, her head in Kisame's lap. The whole gang was lounging around in a living room, herself and hidan actually sitting on the hall outside. Kisame was reading and playing with her hair while Lily and Itachi were playing cards. Everyone was there. Everyone was happy. Everyone was safe. On the hot summer day with a small breeze blowing, everyone was ok.

She felt a rumble on her back and frowned, confused. Then she realized she heard someone calling her name. She couldn't make out just who it was. There was a flash of lightening and when she could see again, everyone was standing in front of her, staring. The presence behind her was gone and everyone was still as a statue. The wind began picking up and calling her name.

"Jo." A voice called. "Jo, sweety, wake up." There was another flash of lightening and everyone was gone. Instead, Jo's mother stood there, two feet in front of her, and Jo couldn't breathe. "Jo. It's me." Her mother said. Jo couldn't move. Her mother reached out a hand gently and held her face. "Jo, Jo, can you hear me?" He mother asked. But this time, the voice was different, familiar though, but different. "Jo?" The voice asked again. Jo closed her eyes to blink. She blinked several times, and slowly, the face of here mother was replaced by the concerned faces of her two friends.

She noticed it was Lily's hand on her cheek, and that her own hand was holding onto it. She released her hand and Lily removed hers. Jo sat up and blinked at Lily, giving her an odd look.

"I had the weirdest fucking dream."

The wind howled outside and even though the sun had risen, the storm clouds blocked out most of the light. Everyone was scattered about the large open living room. There was along couch that had to chaise ends. There was a large television on the wall and a coffee table in front of the couch. On both sides of the television were bookshelves filled with books, movies, and pictures. There were two chairs as well and the curtains on the long windows were pulled closed.

Hanna was sitting on the floor at the coffee table, watching the news on the tv and on her laptop. Every now and then she would cough and she still looked pale. Someone had draped a blanket around her shoulders, but it fell off her. She was to dazed to really notice. The power had yet to go out, although it's not to say the storm had let up. The wind howled outside and branches fell on the roof and the ground around them.

Much of the group had pulled out sleeping bags and crashed on the floor. A few other were on the couch, sleeping, reading, watching the weather. The storm had followed them. The wind outside whipped and howled. Branches fell outside, some hitting the roof.

Hanna sat on the floor and behind her, kisame sat on the couch, his head leaning against the back of the couch and small snores coming from him. Jo had passed out on one of the chaise ends of the couch. Hidan was sitting in a similar position as Kisame. Between Kisame and Hidan, itachi sat with Lily's head in his lap. Her face still had the bruise.

Most had busted out sleeping bags and crashed, some got food. Konan was currently in the kitchen with Sasori, she making tea, and he was looking for something to pull out for all of them to eat for a late lunch.

Pein quietly entered the kitchen, both of the occupants turned to him. Pein nodded at them. Sasori nodded back and Konan kept steeping her tea. They shared a look before Pein spoke to Sasori.

"I wish to speak with her alone." He announced calmly. "Please excuse us." Sasoir nodded and left what he was doing. Pein might have eased up since they've arrived and he might have sounded nicer, but there was still the firmness in his voice that made sure sasori wouldn't want to question him. Pein approached Konan and noticed the three mugs on the counter. She was working on the second while water brewed for the third. He quirked an eyebrow, silently asking who they were for. She merely smiled at him before handing him the first.

"I am making tea for Hanna." She explained. "She does not look well."

"She looks as though she has risen from death." Pein commented. Konan chuckled and went back to steeping tea.

"There was something you wished to speak about?" She asked. Pein nodded after sipping some of his tea. He immediately felt the warmth through out him from it and was greatful for it.

"I spoke with Hanna." He stated. "She began to ask about how we came to be in her world." Konan stopped and looked at him.

"What did you tell her."

"The truth." He stated simply. "She seemed just as confused as we are." He paused and leaned against the counter, thinking. "We've also come to a realization that may prove to hinder us in future attempts of returning."

"Hm?" Konan frowned. "What's wrong?"

"It seems the universe they believe we are from, is nothing more than a fictional story." He began to explain. "For the most part this seems accurate."

"But?" Konan encouraged him. He paused, trying to figure out how to say it.

"It seems our reality has a different plot line than their story." Pein explained and Konan tried to understand.

"How does this affect our attempts to return home?" Konan asked.

"If our reality was the same as their story of us, we could look ahead and find a way to return home, in theory." Pein explained. "Now we are unable to use their stories of us to find how we were sent here, or even to return home." Konan absorbed this information. This significantly decreased their chances of returning home. So far, their only chance of returning home was to sit an wait until they were sent back, and who knows how long that would take. As far as they were concerned, they were not going home.

"Have you told the others?" Konan asked. Pein shook his head. "Perhaps we should…" She trailed off and continued steeping the tea, thinking it over. She put her hands on the counter and sharply turned to Pein, almost startling him with the pleading look in her eyes. She slowly approached him.

Pein's eyes looked her up and down. She was in light jeans with a grey tank top. Her feet were bare and her hair was down, resting on her shoulders. She put her hands gently on his arms and looked up at his face. He stared into her warm honey colored eyes, filled with something he was unfamiliar with.

"Pein," She whispered. "Pein, we don't have to go. Even if we could go home. We could stay here." She told him. "We could start over, all of us." She whispered, her voice almost begging. "No more running, no more hiding. We could just live." They stood there in silence for a few minutes. Pein was thinking over what she had said. He wanted so badly to say yes, let's forget about returning to a world that did not want them, a world where most wanted them dead. He wanted to stay, start over. But if they found a way home, they could not stay. His hands gently took hers and held them.

"And what of our allies." He asked before slowly pulling her against him. He buried his face in her hair. "We don't have to worry for now." He began. "But if there is a way, we must go home. Konan, we cannot abandon those who need us, we cannot let him win." Konan nodded against his chest. She knew it was going to be his response, but she felt she still needed to try and plead her case. She could see how much he wanted it, too. They would have to just wait and see, but for now, they stood together in the kitchen.

Tobi was currently amusing himself with Deidara's hair. Deidara, one of the first to pull out a sleeping bag, had crashed and had since been comatose. His quiet snores were drowned out by Jo's. Tobi was braiding his hair with small braids that he would then braid together to make one larger braid. Hanna watched him as he worked. He was actually pretty good at it. She didn't feel the need to step in unti he tried to wind the hair around the coffee table leg. She opened her motuh to stop him when a series of events began.

First, a bolt of lightning struck what must have been a powerline right outside because the lightning was so close you could hear the electricity buzzing. The power went out as the clap of thunder all but broke everyone's eardrums. While this was still happening, the thunder had startled Lily awake who stood up screaming, which compounded with the thunder to make a few others scream and most of the people to jump to their feet.

Lily had screamed, standing on the sofa, and fell over, losing her balance. Kisame and Hidan had both jumped to their feet. Deidara sat bolt upright, startling Tobi further who was just about to jump through the roof and Hanna had jumped up, knocking the coffee table over while trying to catch it and fell over it herself. After a few seconds, everyone calmed down and got their wits about them.

"Goddamnit." Hanna muttered and fixed the coffee table and grabbed her laptop. The tv had shut off and the air conditioner had stopped.

"It's about to get really hot in here." Jo mumbled before laying back down. Itachi and Kisame leaned over the back of the couch to find Lily, still sprawled on the floor, an irked look on her face. Kisame reached behind and helped her up, laughing a bit.

"Where'd Tobi go?" Hanna asked looking around. Wasn't he literally just there? Pein and Konan came into the room, Konan carrying two mugs of tea, Pein carried his own.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked, his leadership side coming out again. Mos people nodded or mumbled in response while Konan moved over to Hanna. She grabbed a coaster and set it next to her laptop.

"Here, this may help with your cough." She told her with a small msile and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. Hanna offered her a small smile. Her hair was still up and her bags under her eyes had darkened. "What are you doing on the computer anyway?"

"Making a living." She chuckled and sipped the tea. She let out a hum, indicating she enjoyed the taste. Although now that the power is out, I can't do much more."

"Hanna, wanna use my data?" Lily offered, puling out her phone. The Akatsuki were confused but listened in anyway. Hanna shook her head.

"Not really." She grimaced. "I have to start calling customers and taking calls." She took another sip. "I'll give my boss a call in a few minutes to let him know I have no power." Konan sat on the floor next to the coffee table as well.

"What do you do?" She asked.

"It's kinda hard to explain, but basically, my crew organizes a large clean up after storms like this." Hanna explained and sipped more tea. "But seriously, guys." She said looking around, "Where's Tobi?" No sooner had she asked this, Tobi fell from he ceiling, hitting the coffee table with his face and arms, and amazingly didn't break it.

"Found him." Lily mumbled and pointed. Hanna looked back at her with a no shit look, but started to chuckle. "What's funny?"

"Your face." Hanna laughed. "The fucking bruise is right smack dab in the middle." Lily glared and stuck out her tongue but couldn't help but laugh along. The two girls sat there laughing for al ong while before they collected themselves. Everyone was ok. They were safe. No one was going to drown or go missing. They were all ok.

The storm had finally blown over by the next morning, leaving the sky clear and the sun bright. Itachi woke to find a few people missing already. The sun had just begun to rise. He noticed that Hanna and Jo were still asleep on the chaise ends of the couch, but Lily was one of the few missing. He looked behind the couch and saw the main door was open. He stood and quietly approached the screen door. He looked onto the long porch and found lily sitting in one of the rocking chairs, sipping coffee and smiling. Her hair was a mess and her long lavender tee covered her shorts. One foot was up on the seat, her arm resting on the bent knee, while to other foot gently rocked the chair. Itachi quietly opened the door, but it creaked anyway. Lily glanced at him before looking out at the woods again. He let the door close and sat on a chair next to her.

"Morning." She offered.

"Good morning." He responded. "Did you sleep well?" She nodded.

"Did you?" She asked and received a nod in response. "I'm going to go eat soon. I just wanted to watch the sun rise." Itachi didn't respond. Instead he looked into the woods. The golden light hit the green leaves and reflected off the water on the grass and in the puddles on the gravel road. He could smell the fresh earth and hear birds singing nearby. It was quiet and peaceful. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes and breathed. He could do that now, just breathe.

Pein cracked yet another egg into the pan and Konan flipped the bacon in hers. They were making breakfast for everyone, but especially for the three girls who had taken them in. It was the very least they could do. On another pan on the back burner was two cans worth of what was called corned beef hash. They had recently learned it was a popular breakfast food. On the counter near by was a slowly growing mountain of toast. Konan wasn't smiling, her mind still on the conversation from last night. Pein saw this out of the corner of his eye and gently elbowed her, gaining a hint of a smile as she elbowed him back. Next he hip bumped her, wich startled her into grinning as she hip bumped him back. Both quietly chuckled before returning to the task at hand.

The group slowly started shuffling in, grabbing coffee and a few even started to help set the table. Kakuzu was setting out some plates while he sipped coffee and Kisame sat at the table yawning. Deidara was helping with the toast, putting more in and making sure the little mound on the plate stayed warm. They were all startled when Hanna burst in and ran out the back door, stripping as she went and leaving the back door wide open. Pein and konan exchanged confused glances before looking out the door to find Hanna, running in her underwear, running down a dock and diving into the lake that no one had noticed yet. The group just blinked and shook their heads as she came back up for air and began to swim laps.

"She's more of a fish than I am." Kisame joked as he sat back down with his coffee. "I'm surprised she doesn't have gills."

"And I'm surprised you haven't hit that yet." Hidan said as he waltzed into the room, rubbing his head. Kisame was startled and stuttering before slamming his hands on the table and standing.

"The hell is your problem?" Kisame asked.

"Way to open your big mouth." Kakuzu said as he found his own seat at the large table. It didn't have chair but rather long benches. It was interesting and fit with the rest of the large kitchen.

"Would you two either be quiet or take it outside?" Konan said to them. " You'll wake everyone up."

"Good! Lazy fucks need to get their asses up anyway!" Hidan shouted.

"Shut the fuck up." Jo mumbled as she shuffled in, her hair sticking out everywhere. "God, it almost smells like mi Tia's cooking."

"It's almost ready." Pein said to her. "Hanna ran outside." Jo nodded at the man and held up her hand, understanding.

"Say no more, fam." She said and walked out back.

"Fam?" Kisame asked Kakuzu who just shrugged and left the room to wake everyone up for breakfast.

"They do have some odd phrases." Konan chuckled. Kisame was about to add to the conversation but was cut off by a scream outside. He flew to the door, Pein and Hidan stood in a stance, readying for an attack, and Konan grabbed a large knife. They all looked out the door to see Jo had screamed when Hanna pulled her off the dock.

Lily and Itachi walked in then. She didn't even pause at the tension but brushed past everyone, getting herself some coffee.

"You guys should try to relax." She announced gently. "No one is out to get you guys here. You're pretty damn safe." Everyone relaxed and went back to doing their own thing. She had a point. Perhaps they should ease up a bit.

Kakuzu returned with the rest of the stragglers and Hanna and Jo walked in soaking wet and sat on the bench anyway. Everyone sat and everyone dug in. It was nice. Pein couldn't help but watch everyone with a sense of completion. Yes, the akatsuki was his gang, his team, his crew, but here, with these three girls, watching everyone goof off and relax a bit, they seemed more like good friends, almost like a family. Konan was laughing and turned to Pein with a smile, knowing exactly why he was staring, and placed a gentle hand on his leg, before returning to the conversation.

"So when should we start packing to go back?" Kisame asked.

"Well," Hanna said, "I wasn't thinking of going back until tomorrow."

"Yeah." Lily added. "Everyone else is going to be trying to get back today, and who knows fucked up the roads are."

"It's best to give it at least another day." Hanna explained. "I'm gonna be in the study for a while, making phone calls. If you guys need me, just knock."

"I'm going swimming." Lily said to Jo with a smile on her face.

"I want a drink." Jo mumbled.

"You're an alcoholic, I swear." Lily joked. Elbowing her friend who smiled in return.

"I might go for a hike later." Jo said and turned to Hanna, "aren't there trails here?"

"Yeah, I'll get a map." Hanna said and got up. She walked into the study where she already had things set up and pulled out a few trail maps for Jo. As she walked back, she had to pass through the living room and noticed Jo's phone was buzzing. Who was calling her?

Hanna walked over to it and picked up the phone, looking at the name. It was Brian. Well, her phone said Bitch-Baby Brian. So yeah, it was _the_ Brian. Hanna sighed and placed the phone so the screen was down. She stood there for a few seconds before returning to the Kitchen. She would tell Jo later.


	16. Chapter 16

Kiss 16

Wow, 16 chapters. Im already thinking of a sequal but I guess I really need to get this plot rolling hu? Let's see if you guys can keep up. Please please please review!

The group stood outside the house, looking at the damage, but some of them had the presence of mind to start grabbing things from the trunks of the vehicles. The roof had a decent hole in it, with no doubt of debris in the attic now. Debris and trash was all over the yard, some of the upstairs windows were missing too. It was going to take a while to fix it all.

"Home sweet home." Jo mumbled before heading inside, noticing the small garden outside that her mother had planted when she was a child. The flowers that had bloomed lost their petals or were crushed by trash and debris. She would have to fix that.

Jo was getting a list of things ready in her head, they had errands to run, things to do. While she was writing the list down in the messy kitchen, her phone buzzed, breaking her thoughts. She looked at the caller ID and scowled. Him again. _What does he want?_ She hit the ignore button and the phone went silent. She went back to writing the list, setting the phone down face up. It buzzed a few seconds later, catching her attention again. Jo sat staring at her phone, debating. Brian had left her a voice message. He hasn't done that since she finally left him. Maybe it was something serious. Or maybe the asshole needs to be bailed out of another sticky situation.

"So, what should we start with first?" Hanna asked as she walked into the kitchen, startling Jo.

"I want to get the roof fixed first." She said after collecting herself. "That and the windows. If there is any soggy carpet upstairs that can wait." Jo explained.

"Eh." Hanna countered as she crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. "You really shouldn't. There's already a risk for mold growing."

"Why don't we break into groups?" Lily suggested as she joined her friends, letting the Akatsuki deal with luggage. "Most of the Akatski can help fix the roof. Hanna and I can deal with the rugs, right?" Hanna shrugged. _Sure._

"Yeah, not a bad idea." Jo agreed, nodding. It would help speed up the process. And she really didn't want to deal with mold. "Whoever isn't with the roof can help me with the windows."

"What's goin' on?" Kisame asked as he walked in with a few boxes. He passed the trio and set the boxes on the counter.

"We're planning how to fix this place up." Jo answered. "Let's get everything inside quickly. We can deal with unpacking later. We are going to have to get back to the store today." Kisame nodded and moved to the kitchen. Jo, hanna, and Lily helped bring in boxes. The only things they put away were the cold food. Afterwards, they gathered everyone into the living room. They put the furniture back right and sat. The three girls stood infront of the TV, facing their guests.

"Althight, since you guys live here too, I'm asking for everyone's help." Jo began, eyeing everyone evenly. She wanted this work done and done fast. "For now, you guys can crash in the living room and our rooms until the attic is fixed. Some of you are going to work on the roof. We have gone ahead and split people up into groups." She paused and looked over the list before beginning. "Hidan, Sasori, Pein, Deidara, Kisame, and Kakuzu, can we get you guys to help with the roof?" She asked. They all nodded or agreed in some way. Hidan groaned and rolled his head back. "Aweseome."

"Konan, Zetsu, I'm going to need your guys help with the carpets." Hanna explained, stepping in. "Tobi and Itachi, can you guys help Lily replace some of the windows?" Itachi nodded. Tobi perked up.

"Yes! Tobi is a good boy! Tobi will help Miss Lily!" He announced, bouncing in his seat. Jo shook her head at his antics. He tried to stand and go to hang on Lily, but Itachi was hanging onto his shirt, keeping the monster man-child at bay.

"That's my candyman." Jo laughed, getting an exasperated look from Lily. "Anywho, lets get to work. We are going to regroup and head to the store in about ten minutes. For now, we need to make a list of things we need and the measurements for the windows." With that, they broke into their groups. Lily went to the kitchen to get paper, pen, and a tape measure. The three broke up and checked the windows. Any window that needed to be replaced was written down and measured.

Jo made a list of things from the store they would need such as tools and wood and shingles. Hanna made a phone call into her work to see if they had any extra machines to dry the carpet.

"Hey, jo?" hanna asked as she approached her friend. "We're about ready to go, you got the list?" Jo looked up at her with a small smile and nodded before handing it to her.

"They got the machines?" Jo asked. Hanna nodded.

"Hey, I was wondering if someone should stay behind in case we forgot something. That way we can call whoever's here, ya know?" Hanna asked. Jo thought about it.

"Yeah, that's actually a really good idea." Jo admitted. "I'll stay behind. Make sure no looters come around too." Hanna laughed.

"You know where the shot gun is." She joked and left the kitchen. Jo shook her head and laughed and began to unpack the non-perishable food. They probably wouldn't be able to get much done today, maybe the carpets and the windows, but the roof would have to wait for tomorrow. It was already getting dark. They had been driving all day and were exhausted.

Lily huffed as she sat in her truck again. If she thought she was tired before…. That whole experience was tiring, and she was done with driving. There were so many people at the hardware store anyway. At least she had the guys to help her load up her truck. Konan was a nice co-pilot. She liked to go through Lily's ipod and play different music. Some of the songs Lily had forgotten about. Konan had taken a liking to Closer by the Chainsmokers, and Lily couldn't blame her, it was her favorite as well.

"Is everything tied on tight?" Hanna asked as she walked around her vehicle, checking the ropes that kept some drywall on the roof.

"Should be." Kisame answered as he finished tying a knot. It was just him and her by her car at the moment. He walked over to her as she leaned against it. He looked her up and down. She was in green cargo pants tucked into tan workboots with a black tank top. Her wild brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she looked tired but she still offered him a smile. He leaned in close. "ya know, I was thinking."

"What a dangerous pass time." She teased and he grinned as he got closer.

"We haven't really had time to ourselves since the other night." He mentioned and the memory made Hanna's face turn cherry red.

"What about it?" She mumbled. Kisame smirked and leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear.

"Was wondering if you wanted to go swimming tonight with me." He asked. The tone in his voice suggested something different and a shiver went down Hanna's spine.

"Hey." Lily called from her truck. "Let's get home. It's dark and I'm hungry." Kisame stepped back and looked over at the group that was heading to Hanna's car.

"Do you wanna stop anywhere?" Hanna asked. "Why not hit up McDOnalds?" Lilly nodded and gave her a thumbs up while starting her truck. She tossed Kisame a smirk. "Let's get going."

The drive through was a mistake. Everyone kept talking over each other and no one knew what they wanted and didn't know what half the shit on the menu was anyway. Hanna just rested her head on the steering wheel, groaning at her misfortune. Eventually, everyone shut up and ordered food. But it took Pein giving everyone a death glare to even be able to be quiet enough for her to order.

"Can't wait to get home, this smells amazing." Lily said. "Fry me!" She ordered and Itachi took a golden fry and stuck it in her mouth as she drove. They had been doing this the whole way back and Itachi even tried a few himself. They were rather addicting. He looked at her and found her smiling softly as she drove until they reached their neighborhood. Her smile fell and pity crossed her face. They had been lucky. Several homes had trees fallen on them and debris going through the walls. AS she drove down one street, the scene around them reminded Itachi of a war torn village he had seen several times. Only this time there weren't dead bodies everywhere.

Lily drove slowly, every so often making sure Hanna was still behind her, as she drove through the neighborhood. She turned down their street and parked on the curb next to their house. She shut the engine off and started to grab some of the McDonalds bags, humming as she did.

"Lily." Itachi's smoothe voice called. She looked at him, confused. His gaze was focused on the house. She turned and saw why. The front door was wide open and the lights were off. There was no sign of Jo. There was no sign of Jo. She left the food and jumped out of the truck, panicked and running at a dead sprint for the door. Hanna must have had the same line of thinking because both she and lily ran to the door, Pein and Konan hot on their heels with Kakuzua and Hidan close behind. Every one lese gave them space, carrying the food, but also making sure no one snuck out. Zetsu and Tobi headed to the backyard to ensure this as well.

"Jo?" Hanna called as they entered the house. One of the chairs in the living room had been moved and the glass coffee table was broken. "Jo?" She called again, her voice shaking. Did she really want to find out what had happened? Lily moved past her and looked in the hall before heading to the kitchen. She froze for a beat and gasped loud enough for the rest of the people to hear.

"Jo!" She screamed and ran to her friend's side. She could hear Hanna and the others running. Jo was laying face down, blood pooling around her. There was a pan on the floor as well as food that had been knocked off the counter. Her back had glass in it and blood soaked through her shirt. "Jo, sweetie, oh my god, Jo." Lily gently said to her. She heard Hanna gasp before she too crouched next to Lily, taking in the visible bruises and lacerations.

"What the hell happened?" Hanna asked and Lily shook her head. The two gently rolled her onto her back. Jo winced at the glass in her back as she started to come to. There was a gash on her forehead and blood in her mouth that gurgled and fell down her chin. She coughed and cried out in pain. Lily put a gentle hand on her friend's side, feeling broken ribs. Jo was clutching a wrist close to her chest and breathing heavily. She cried out in pain as they helped her sit at an incline so as to not push the glass in deeper.

"Guys, guys." Jo coughed out. "Guys, I'm sorry." She whispered and reached out her good hand, looking for something to grab onto. It was Hanna's hand that closed around Jo's assuring her she was safe now. Lily sniffed and leaned over her, smiling through the tears that had started to fall.

"You don't have to apologize, sweetie." Lily assured her. "we're here now, you're safe." She told her and gently rested her hand on her friend' face, moving some hair that was matted with blood out of her face. "We're gonna get you fixed up, ok?" Lily nodded at Jo, assuring. Jo nodded back and fresh tears of pain fell. Lily wasn't sure if it was pain or frustration at this point.

Konan replaced Hanna's spot next to Jo as hanna went out to handle the rest of the group. Pein stood behind Lily.

Hanna moved out to the living room to greet the rest of the group. Everyone stood there, waiting for news.

"You guys can go ahead and start eating. Use the living room for now." Hanna said with a small smile. Jo let out a cry from the other room, startling everyone.

"Is Miss Jo gonna be ok?" Tobi asked. Hanna paused. Physically, yeah. Emotionally? God can only hope.

Hanna had returned to the kitchen, finding they had placed Jo in a kitchen chair. Lily had cut the rest of Jo's shirt off and started looking for the things they would need. Hanna had rummaged through her own luggage and grabbed what she had as far as first aid supplies. Hopefully, they could avoid a trip to the hospital.

Konan sat in a chair next to Jo, facing her, letting the small tan woman lean against her. Lily looked sadly to Hanna and gestured to the table. She had ace wrap, gauze, wet cloths and a bowl of water on the table ready. Hanna dropped her bag for first aid on the table and pulled out tweezers. There was another empty bowl where they would put the glass. Hanna looked at her friend's bare back. The glass stuck out of her like scales and some of the skin puckered around the wound. She began to pull. Jo grunted her teeth and leaned against Konan, biting down on her lip. Pein stood in the corner near the entrance and eyed Hidan as he entered. He stood next to Pein, silent, watching. He took in what he saw. The blood, the glass, the pan, the bruises, the cuts, the tears, everything. Pein had left at one point to summon Kakuzu for his assistance with stitching up some of the cuts.

After the glass had been removed, her wrist bandaged, ice applied to bruises, and all the blood ad finally been wiped away, Hidan picked her up and carried her from the bathroom to her own bedroom.

Hidan set her on her bed and rested her bandaged wrist on her chest. She lay there, completely out cold, pale with dark bruises. The bags under her eyes made her look sickly and her hair was a mess, some places still with traces of blood. She looked like shit. What the hell happened to her? Who the fuck did this to her? He had an idea and it made his blood boil.

Hidan moved some hair from her face in a gesture so tender it surprised himself. He had gotten used to the noisy bitch, found he liked her, found he respected her. With this new attachment, he realized he couldn't leave her like this. However, if the assailant was who he had in mind, the last thing she needed was to wake up with a man in her bed. So instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited. He would wait until she woke up again, no matter how long that lasted.

After a while, there was a knock on the door and he looked up to see Hanna had brought up a bag of food. She offered him a soft smile.

"How is she?" Hanna asked.

"Still fucking out." He said, jabbing a thumb behind him to point at Jo. Hanna sighed and leaned over Jo, resting a hand on her face and then checking her pulse. Hidan dug into the bag of greasy fast food she had brought him.

"She'll be fine." Hanna told him as she pulled away from Jo. "Don't worry too much. She's been through a lot worse than this."

"I ain't fucking worried." Hidan said through a mouthful of food. Hanna just offered him a small smile and a laugh through her nose.

"I am." She admitted as she wrapped her arms around herself. "This guy, Brian, he isn't…..I don't even know what to say right now." Hanna stood there, silent, thinking. Hidan eyed her up and down, watching her. "Jo is one of the strongest fucking people I know. If she wanted to, she could take him out if he attacked her. I guess she just doesn't know it." Hidan listened and then Hanna snorted "And God knows she won't ask any of us for help." He took another bite out of his food.

"If she doesn't fuck him up soon," He pointed out, "he's gonna fucking kill her. I've seen it happen. Happens all the fucking time." He spoke calmly, casually.

"I know."

Itachi looked at Lily as she sat on the floor with her food in her lap. The light drained from her face a bit and she looked tired. He noticed that all three of the girls looked exhausted on the way back. Hanna still had her cough, though it wasn't nearly as bad.

The whole group had noticed a shit in their attitudes once the storm hit. There was the small reprieve at the Lake House where they were themselves again, but it was only briefly.

The rest of the evening was quiet and slow. They had finished dinner and managed to seal off the roof with tarps. Itachi, Tobi and Lily managed to get the bottom level windows fixed and pulled the shutters closed for the ones upstairs. She was damn near silent the entire time.

Luckily, the house still had power and the television was untouched. The group pulled out their sleeping bags and what not and spread out in the living room, claiming what space they could. No one spoke about how they had found Jo. Yes, there were questions, but Pein kept them silent with a glare. He had questions himself, but decided they would tell him when they felt like it. After all, it technically was not their place to pry.

Hidan was starting to nod off when a pained grunt woke him up. He sat up and turned to see Jo on her side, trying to get up, using an arm to push herself up. Tear were falling again as she struggled. Hidan turned around and tried to help her, but the moment she felt his touch, she went limp, falling on her side and gritting her teeth together in pain, her eyes screwed shut and her breathing heavy.

She felt a cold hand on her face, a calloused thumb gently rubbing her face. Eventually, the pain began to fade and she relaxed. She blinked open her eyes and looked up at Hidan. She tried to sit up again and this time Hidan got her sitting up. She looked down and saw she was in a loose white t-shirt.

"What's up, big boy?" She asked, ruffling her hair, her tone of voice steady as if she wasn't just in severe pain. Hidan handed her a burger.

"We didn't bother waiting for your sorry ass." He said softly. Jo smiled and took it, tearing into it.

"How long have I been out?" She asked around a mouthful of burger.

"A few hours. Had us fucking worried." He told her, narrowing his eyes a bit. "Fucking had to do your share of the work." Jo laughed and winced. They fell into silence for a minute as she ate, but he could only stay quiet for so long. "What the hell happened?" Jo paused and looked down into her lap before looking him dead in the eye.

"None of your goddamn business that's what." She spoke firmly. Hidan stood.

"The hell it isn't!" He shouted. "We fucking found you beaten senseless and left for dead on your own fucking floor!" He was shouting and Jo, even though she was shaking, kept her glare pinned on him and her face firm. "The other two bitches were fucking scared outta their minds and they patched you up. Hell, even fucking Pein was scared outta his fucking mind!"

"And you?" Jo asked calmly. Hidan paused. He looked at her confused. "Were you worried?" There wasn't desperation or pleading. She was genuinely curious as to what he would say. Hidan inhaled and calmed himself. As he exhaled, he sat on her bed, staring back at her.

"Next time he shows his fucking face," he told her in a threatening tone, "if you don't fucking kick the shit out of him, I'll kill you myself." They sat there for a few seconds, staring at each other, before Jo broke out into a small smile. "What? You think I'm fucking kidding?" He asked. Jo didn't say anything but shook her head as she slid herself into his lap, her legs straddling him. She placed her slender hands on either sides of his face and kissed him. It started off as just a small kiss of thanks.

Hidan closed his eyes and pulled her closer, kissing her back. She pushed him gently, making him lean back and lay down. She followed him, kissing him the entire time as his hands fell from her waist to her ass, encouraging her to grind against him. Jo left his mouth and bit and kissed along his neck.

It seemed as if she was going to take control this time, and he had no objections.

Kisame sat on the couch, his head bobbing as he tried to stay awake. Under his arm, pressed against his side, was Hanna, her eyes closed and soft snores leaving her. He looked down at her and kissed the top of her head, his hand coming up to play with some of her hair.

He wasn't the only one to notice the girl's exhaustion. While the group had only been there for barely a week, they had come to enjoy the loud, energetic beings they were. The stern business-like behaviors they exhibited now seemed colder and distant, not aggressively so, but they lacked the playfulness they originally had. It was weird.

Hanna shifted under his arm and ended up using his lap as a pillow. He couldn't help but chuckle a little as she curled up into a little ball, still sleeping. He kept playing with her hair and pulled a small blanket off the back of the couch to cover her. As long as she was comfortable and getting some much needed sleep, he didn't mind.

Kakuzu, who sat in a chair with a book he nabbed from the lakehouse, watched the little interactions people had with each other, including the girls, and he noticed how each one seemed attached in one way or another. Even he had to admit he had developed a certain…tolerance for the girls. Not that he would ever admit to that. For the most part, it stemmed from gratitude. The longer they stayed, the more they realized just how lost they would be if they hadn't been dumped in the girls' home, especially after that storm. They would have survived, yes, but having a place to stay, a safe place, is infinitely better. Kakuzu couldn't help but feel displeasure at the thought of returning back to his own world and what was worse, he wasn't sure why. Was he going to miss them? Was he worried about his partner becoming too attatched? Or even worse, was he worried about how the girls would take it?

"Lily explained it to me." Konan stated as she shut the door to their room and leaned against it. Pein looked at her from his perch on the bed. "What happened earlier." She elaborated and approached the bed. "She was attacked by an old acquaintance, a lover she left for this very reason. This is not a common occurrence, but at the same time it is not unheard of." Pein nodded, taking in the information. "How would you like us to act?"

"We do not." Pein stated quickly, startling Konan. She frowned a bit, confused.

"One of our own was attacked." Konan said, a slight sense of argumentative tone in her voice.

"No." Pein corrected. "They are not one of us." Konan scowled. Why was he being so cold all of a sudden. "It is not our place."

"They took us in." Konan countered.

"And this is their world." Pein stated. "We must act accordingly. We do not know the repercussions of such actions." He explained his reasoning and Konan understood where he was coming from. He wasn't refusing to act out of a lack of care, he was refusing to act because he was trying to do what was best for everyone involved. If they took him out, retaliated, and the consequences put everyone in danger, it would do more harm than good. Konan stood there, absorbing. After a moment, she nodded.

"Understood." Pein nodded back to her and watched as she crossed the room to the bathroom. The door shut and seconds later he heard the shower start. He sighed and relaxed, leaning against the headboard of the bed. A part of him wanted to reach out to the girls, see how he could help, but he didn't want to overstep. Jo did not strike him as the type of person to allow others to handle her problems for her. He would have to wait and see. But there was one thing for sure. He was not going to let the girls be alone. If they were at a risk of being attacked in their own home, at least one member of his group would stay with them if the rest were out. He could at least do that much.

It was late in the evening when Itachi mde his way silently up the stairs. Most had fallen asleep in the living room and some who were awake gathered in the kitchen for food. He shook his head at them. Eating so late was bad for your health. He climbed the stairs silently, avoiding creeks without even realizing it. He padded down the hall to Lily's room and knocked quietly in case she had fallen asleep.

"Come on in." She answered quietly. Her voice was soft and almost sad. He opened the door and found her putting her room back together. A branch from the tree had fallen and been blown into her room. She had already tossed it out the window and now worked on picking up her room to make it more habitable. A blue tarp covered the window, blocking out the slight breezes that would help to cool her room. With many windows damaged and the whole in the roof, they had decided to leave the air conditioning off, leaving them in the hot, sticky humidity.

Itachi watched her as he stepped in and shut the door. She was in khaki shorts that barely reached her mid thigh and a baggy black t-shirt. Her teal hair was up in a messy bun, desperate to keep it off her neck. She was in the middle of picking up an empty picture frame off the floor. The glass had been cracked and he could only guess what the picture was. She looked up at him and offered him a slight smile.

"Hey, everything ok?" She asked as she stood up. He merely nodded and she looked back down at the picture frame scowling. "Damn it. That was my favorite picture." She mumbled.

"What did it look like?" He asked out of curiosity. She walked over to her bookshelf and started piling things on various shelves, leaving the frame propped up as if there was still a picture on it.

"It was a picture of an old friend of mine." She told him. "He, uh," She said and turned to him, moving her finger in a circle as if looking for a word to say "he helped me got clean." Itachi nodded. "He's a cop. A police officer, kind of what the anbu do but not quite so elite. They keep the peace and enforce laws." Itachi nodded, indicating he understood what she was saying. "I should probably call and check up on them." She said, putting her finger to her chin in thought. "Haven't heard from them in a long while." She shrugged and continued to clean.

"It's late." He pointed out to her.

"And?" Lily asked. "It's gotta get done sometime."

"You could do it tomorrow," he pointed out, "the three have you been driving for a long time. I can see the affect it has on you." Lily, in a sudden burst of frustration, stood up straight and tossed everything she had gather in her hands to the floor and her hands went around her head, shaking back and forth as if she was trying not to grab her head. He expression changed from calm to rage in less than a second and she looked at him with such anger it startled him.

"Shut up!" She shouted at him and turned away, "you don't fucking get it!" She shouted as she stomped at her trashcan, knocking it back over. "None of you fucking get it!" she shouted as she swiped everything off her desk in a fit of rage, knocking everything to the floor, her notes, her laptop (luckily it did not break) and her lamp. Itachi stood there calmly, letting her shout and wreck her room again. "Where's that fucking picture?" She asked herself and started pulling open drawers, yanking them out of the desk and dumping their contents before tossing them aside. As she tossed the second one and went for the third, Itachi walked over to her.

Lily sat at her desk and put her head in her hands. There was a quiet sniff that told Itachi she was on the verge of crying. He couldn't say he understood what was wrong, and a part of him assumed it had something to do with their presence.

"I'm scared." She admitted so quietly Itachi thought he was imagining it. Lily stilled at her desk, still as stone, the storm inside her settled for now. He did not want to provoke it again.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked her, his voice calm and steady but also quiet. Lily just shook her head. _You wouldn't understand._ He assumed was her body language. "I cannot understand if you do not explain it to me."

"Just leave." She pleaded turning her voice into a sigh. Itachi blinked but nodded with a hn. He turned and reached the door before stopping.

"I apologize if I have upset you." He said before slipping into the hall and shutting the door. He stood in the hall thinking. It hurt to have been thrown out of her room like that and he was still confused as to what he had done wrong. But with as bad as he felt, it still was nothing on how Lily felt.

She felt like she was suffocating in guilt and fear. Her best friend had just been beaten senseless. She was exhausted from driving all day. But even worse was the paranoia creeping into her bones. If Brian had the balls to come here and do that, who's to say Tito won't stop by for a visit?

Tito wasn't nearly as violent as Brian had been, but he was also less reckless. That's how he got to be one of the bigger dealers in the area. That's how they met. She'd been one of his distributors. Brian and Tito worked together too. Except Brian was more of a thug than a dealer. It was all interconnected weirdness and Lily had hoped it had stayed in her past. But Tito wasn't one to let people go like Brian. Yes, he may have come and beat on Jo again after months of not speaking, but Lily was willing to bet her last dollar that Tito sent him.

Lily sniffed and leaned back in her chair. The worst part was that she took it out on Itachi. Not only was she most likely responsible for Jo's attack, but she had freaked out on the poor man. He must think she's crazy now if he didn't already.

Please please please for the love of god review with something more than "update please" like what do you like/dislike about this story? what do you want to see more of?


	17. Chapter 17

Hidan woke up and stretched his arms, yawning. He turned with his eyes still closed looking for a warm naked body to press against and scowled when there was no one. His eyes opened slowly and his scowl deepened. _Where the fuck did she go?_ Hidan pulled on some jeans and walked down the steps, his hair still a mess and no shirt on. He found most of the people inside, but a few were missing, and he still couldn't find Jo. He must have had a confused look on his face, because Kakuzu saw him and smirked as he sipped some coffee.

"You're girlfriend's outside." He said, smirking at the scowl that Hidan gave him when he said _girlfriend_. Hidan glared at him.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked. Instead of responding, Kakuzu started walking out of the room. Hidan followed him outside where a few others were standing on the lawn. Pein, Lily, Hanna, and Kisame were all looking up at the roof, each with different looks on their faces.

Pein was looking with his neutral face. What's new. Kisame was smirking up at the roof while Hanna looked concered, with her hands on her hips and Lily was scowling, her arms crossed. Hidan turned and saw why. Jo, with all her bumps and bruises, was already working on the roof.

"Jo, come on!" Lily shouted. "At least wait for someone to help you! How the fuck did you get up there in the first place?" Jo just looked at her with funny face that said "duh."

"There's a latter right here." She answered, pointing in the whole in the roof.

"Yeah, what are you gonna do when it's fixed?" Lily argued.

"It's not gonna be fixed today!" Jo shouted back. "Shut up and help me!" Lily huffed, throwing her arms in the air and stomping inside.

"I fucking give up." She mumbled. Kakuzu grinned and followed her, much of the same mentality. He had been one of the first to try and get her down that morning. Kisame elbowed Hanna, and tilted his head with a smile, suggesting they should go in. She followed him to the kitchen that still held most of their group.

Lily Had entered the kitchen, scowl still on her face. She passed people, but still scanned the room to see who was up. Her eyes met Itachi's and she paused at the counter before turning away form him.

Itachi couldn't help but feel a little confused. Had he over stepped? He couldn't for the life of him understand what had happened. For now, he would leave her be until she seemed more at ease, then perhaps he would ask her.

Lily, however, left the room shortly after and headed upstairs to change into other clothes. She wasn't completely sure why she exploded. She was tired and stressed, that's all. She thought to herself as she entered her room. It was still a mess and she moved past the debris and headed for her dresser.

She glanced at her bed and then shook her head as she pulled on knee-length cargo shorts. She had slept alone last night. Even though she'd only shared the bed with him a few times, Lily found a crushing sense of loneliness as she tried to sleep. Then she found she couldn't sleep.

She pulled on a black tank top and pulled her hair back into a bun. She looked at her reflection and scowled. Her brown roots were starting to come in. She would have to fix that.

Hidan popped his head up and startled Jo. She sent him a light hearted glare and smiled softly before going back to hammering the nail into the wood.

"Morning." She offered. He grunted and climbed onto the roof and sat next to her. "What's up?"

"What the hell are you doing up here so early?" Hidan asked, getting straight to the point. She just smiled to herself before answering.

"Want to get it done." She answered. "Sooner it's done, the sooner I can drink." They sat there, neither saying anything. After a while, he turned to her, the real reason he came up there.

"You good?" HE asked. It almost startled Jo. She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. It too her a minute to realize what he had asked. She smirked and ran her hand through her mane of hair.

"Don't worry, big boy." She teased and Hidan could see the confidence coming back. "I got this."

"Zetsu you fucking lazy piece of shit." Hanna gritted out through her teeth as she grunted and pulled a dehumidifier up the steps. Zetus had refused to help pull the equipment up the steps simple because there was no raw steak for him. Kisame smirked as he passed her on the steps holding an air mover on his shoulder. She scowled at, him as he passed. Once he was behind her, he moved his hand back, smacking her on the ass, earning a startled yelp that made him smirk. Hanna stood there, fuming and blushing at the same time.

"What's wrong with you, yeah?" Deidara asked as he headed up the steps as well. Hann shook her head and continued trudging up the steps. "You want some help, yeah" He asked, smiling.

"Please." She said to him with a pouty face. Deidara smiled and helped her.

It took the group about a week to get everything straightened up again and over the week, Pein noticed the girls seemed to fall back into a sense of routine. Jo returned to work and her bruises began to fade, allowing her to wear less and less make up. She would wake up, head to work, come home and drink and relax. Hanna was able to stay home more, but also returned to work a few days and then came home to make dinner. Usually, someone would help her since there was a large number of people. Lily was the only one who was home all day, and no one dared wake her up, leaving her to sleep until two in the afternoon. However, he noticed she didn't seem to tire until four in the mourning t best. He still remembered one odd experience.

 _Pein rolled over and stretched out, intending to pull Konan closer to him but found the bed was empty. He lazily opened his eyes and looked around. Sun was just beginning to peak through the window and the bathroom light was on. As he grew more aware, he could hear the shower running. Pein sat up and rested his feet on the floor. Might as well get up. Maybe he can get to the food before the rest of the group._

 _He threw on a white tank top and moved silently through the quiet house. He made it to the hallway between the kitchen and living room and paused. Sitting in front of the tv, just as they had left her last night, was Lily, video game controller still in hand, headset on, speaking small curses into the mic, fingers pull the trigger rapidly. She hadn't seemed to move much besides that. There was nothing near her to indicate she had eaten. She started around the time they all started to eat dinner and she hadn't wanted any of the pizza Hanna had ordered. They left it on the counter for her to eat when she felt like it._

 _As he entered the kitchen, he saw the box of pizza that had been left for her, with her slices still there. He frowned but shook his head. He made himself and Konan coffee and food, but as if was cooking, he decided to make Lily some tea. He took it to her and set it next to her, but caught her shaking her head at him. He stood and stared at her before walking away, leaving the tea with her._

Pein had briefly wondered why her behavior had changed. While yes, she slept a lot and was fairly distant when they first met, this seemed to take it a step further. When she wasn't playing video games or sleeping, she was locked in her room, barely eating or interacting with anyone.

"Is she always this much of a recluse?" He asked Jo one day as she was sipping on her third glass of wine that night. Jo looked at the hallway Lily had just walked down.

"Honestly?" jo sipped her wine. "Not this much. She actually likes people, I don't know what her problem is."

"SHouldn't you ask?" Deidara asked. Jo shook her head.

"She's a big girl," Jo answered. "If she needs help, she'll say something." She ten turned to hanna. "Right?" Hanna nodded but didn't look too convinced. Those who were sitting there did not miss the interaction.

The group was winding down as it neared ten in the evening. A movie was on but only a few were really paying attention. But when they heard odd footsteps on the stairs, everyone's ears perked up. They all turned to see Lily walk into the room and it was not a picture they were expecting. Her blue hair was pulled into a sharp high ponytail and her face was almost unrecognizable with her make up done. She had on high strappy black heels. Her dress was a sphagetti strapped, very short, black sequined dress and she held a black clutch. She walked past everyone without looking at anyone. As she pulled her keys out of the tray near the door, Jo spoke up.

"Where you goin'?" Jo asked, her words just starting to slur. Lily paused.

"Out."

"I can see that." Jo snorted.

"Then why did you ask?" Lily asked and opened the door, slipping out into the dark. The door slammed shut and a few people moved slightly but Jo held up a hand, stopping everyone as she listened. Hanna looked at jo, lifting her head from Kisame's lap. They herd the truck rev up and start driving. Jo jumped up and made her way to the window as carefully as she could and looked out.

"She took her truck." Jo said and Hanna seemed to relax a bit.

"Think she'll come home tonight?" Hanna asked and jo shrugged.

"We'll have to wait and see."

Lily didn't come home that night. Jo finally decided to call her around two, only to be sent to voicemail. Lily didn't even pick up for Hanna. Hanna was visibly distressed. Kisame tried to ask what was wrong but she tried to not let it show.

Itachi approached Jo and asked if it was possible if she began using again. Jo stared for a small while before answering honestly.

"I don't know." She answered. "I honestly doubt it, and I hope she didn't. But there is always that possiblilty."

"What happens if she has?" He asked. Jo seemed to harden at this, steeling herself for her own answer.

"If she starts using again, and refuses to give it up, she is no longer welcome." She answered. "Lily will have to find her own place."

"And her friend? The man who helped her last time?" Itachi asked. Jo thoguth it over for a second.

"He only needs to be involved as a last resort." Jo explained. "The less people involved the better." Itachi nodded in understanding before asking another question.

"Hse said something before, about the drug heroin." He started and Jo nodded, encouraging him to continue. "If you do heroin you are trying to kill yourself." He paused. "Is this true?" Jo shrugged.

"It's a pretty common thought. For some people it's true, for others it's a method of escaped from physical or even emotional pain." She explained. Itachi nodded. Surely he hadn't pushed her that far? Had the storm? Jo must have been able to see it on his face.

"Itachi." She said quietly with a small smile, though her arms were still crossed, "Don't blame yourself. If she relapses, it won't be your fault. This is all on her."

It wasn't until about seven in the evening when Lily finally came home. And she wasn't alone.

"Jo!" Hanna called from the window, catching everyone's attention. Everyone was on edge. Hanna watched through the window as Lily pulled into the driveway while a black car parked on the street. Lily ran up to the house, her clutch and shoes in hand and her maekup and hair a mess. She came into the house and ran upstairs without a word to anyone.

"Looks like she is still alive." Sasori commented and Kakuzu snorted.

"Should we talk to her, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Why?" Kisame asked. "She's an adult right? She can do what she wants."

"This isn't normal for her." Hanna told him, "I'm honestly a little worried."

"About what?" Kisme asked, genuinely confused. Itachi and Pein were really the only ones who knew. Hanna thought about answering, but stopped when they heard lily running back downstairs. They coult barely see her as she flew past in ripped jean shorts and a baggy black ripped t-shirt that fell off her shoulder and black boots. She ran as she put her hair back up into a ponytail and flew out the front door, running right for the black car.

Jo and Hanna watched her go. Jo was scowling and Hanna looked upset. No one said anything.

They all tried to continue on as normal, but the tension between the three girls seemed to grow over the next few days. Lily came and went, and sometimes stayed out for days at a time. This went on for about two weeks before Jo stepped in. It was a Thursday night and Lily quietly unlocked the door and crept in. The house was quiet, as everyone was asleep. She made her way upstairs and snuck into her own room. She stripped down and put on a baggy t-shirt and sat at her desk. She rested her head in her hands, rubbing her face. She was tired and making little progress.

"Nice to see you're still alive." A voice said from her doorway. Lily turned and saw Jo shutting the door quietly before standing there with her arms crossed. Lily kept her face a calm mask. "What have you been up to?"

"Sorry, mother, I didn't realize I had to report to you." Lily said with a cold tone.

"As long as you live under my roof, and eat my food, I at least deserve to hear from you every once in a while." Jo told her, glaring her down.

"Oh, so it's a money thing?" Lily asked, her voice flat, "Fine, you can expect rent by Monday."

"Lily, what the fuck?" Jo asked, her voice still calm. "What the fuck is your problem lately?"

"Nosey bitches getting involved in my business." Lily answered.

"Are you using?" Lily's mask broke, twisting with disgust.

"Do you really thing that low of me?" She asked. Jo shrugged.

"What else am I supposed to think?" She responded. "You haven't spoken to anyone in two weeks, you barely come home, and when you do, you leave dressed up like you're about to go work the corner. Just like last time." Jo explained. "So I'll ask you again. Are you using?" Lily slumped against her chair and turned away from Jo and stuck out her arms for her to see. From where she was standing, Jo could see no fresh marks. Jo let out a breathe of relief and relaxed. "What's going on, Lily? You've got us all worried."

"It's not something I want to get you guys involved in." Lily explained and began looking through her drawers. She pulled out a small cigarette carton and sat on her desk, near the open window. She offered Jo one and she accepted, sitting in the chair.

"Lily, you should know better."

"It's not just you though." She explained and massaged her sore scalp. "It's the whole group. I don't want them dragged into this. It's not exactly legal." Jo rolled her eyes as she lit her cigarette.

"You do realize you are living in a house of criminals. Murderers even." Jo pointed out.

"And you're banging one." Lily teased and nudged Jo.

"Yeah." She agreed. "At least he can keep it up. Brian took two pumps and he was done for the night."

"God that sucks."

"Yeah." Jo agreed. "Hidan can probably go all night."

"You should try it sometime." Lily encouraged with a small smile. Jo nodded.

"So should you." Jo answered and Lily snorted.

"No offense, but he's not really my type." Jo swatted her and smirked.

"I meant mister tall dark and silent." She said and grinned as she saw Lily's face erupt in a blush.

"He's not interested."

"How do you know?" Jo asked, confused.

"I freaked out at him right after we got home." She admitted. "He's not going to want someone who can't keep it together."

"Lily," Jo said with a sigh. "You have this issue of assuming how people feel." She turned around to face her, "the whole time you've been gone, he's been the last one to wait for you to come home. He usually just sleeps on the couch. You've got him scared, and honestsly, he's not the only one." Lily took it in and they sat in silnce for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry for worrying you all."

"Shut up." Jo said bluntly. "Tell me about what's going on."

Sorry its been so long. Please review and let me know what you think


	18. Chapter 18

Itachi entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks. Standing at the stove was Lily, cooking breakfast as though nothing has changed. Pein and Konan sat at the table, reading or drinking coffee. He had to fight the urge to go up behind her and embrace her, burying his nose in her hair. Instead he moved to the cupboard next to her and pulled out a glass.

"Welcome home." He said quietly. She smiled and looked at him before winking. He got himself a glass of water. She was in a much better mood. She didn't seem intoxicated. Perhaps she just needed to let off steam.

Jo and Hanna had left for work already and most of the group was just now waking up. As each one entered the Kitchen, Lily would hand them a plate of food, encouraging them to eat. She wanted to make sure everyone had enough food for the day. She left the dishes for someone else to do and went about the house, cleaning up and tidying. She could feel Itachi's gaze on her back the entire time, even going so far as to descretely follow her room to room. Eventually, she sighed and walked outside into the summer sun. She smirked when she felt him following. She stopped by the garden and picked a few random flowers before continuing on to the tree near the back of the yard and stepped behind it. Itachi followed and saw she was facing the tree and placing flowers against it.

"I can feel you about to bursts with questions." She said with a small smile. "Go ahead and ask." Itachi thought carefully on what he wanted to ask the most. Eventually he was able to pick which questions he needed to know the most.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Lily blinked up at him, a bit startled before offering a small smile and nodding.

"I'm fine." She explained. "Just a bit tired is all." Itachi nodded at her, relief filling him. "Is that your only question?" She asked with a slight laugh. Itachi felt his cheeks warm. He didn't blush, but if he wasn't careful he would. "Ah well, what other questions do you have?"

"I feel you would be better equipped to explain the situation to me rather than answer my questions. I may not know which questions to ask." He explained. He had a valid point. He wasn't fully aware of how their world worked. Lily shrugged.

"Well, for starters, you know how Jo's ex came back and beat the shit out of her?" Itachi nodded. "They hadn't spoken in months at that point. So for him to come back like that is unlikely and yet here we are." She stated and looked back at the tree. "I have reason to believe that my ex, the man Brian worked for, is no longer in hiding and is making an active play."

"You speak as though they are criminals you are at war with." Itachi says quietly.

"Well, you're not wrong." She shrugged, "at least not entirely. Brian and my ex, Tito, work together. Tito was a major drug dealer, and Brian was just one of his meat-head thugs. I broke up with Tito around the same time I started getting clean. I also aided in bringing down a small branch of his in the area, in exchange for no jail time."

"He wants revenge." Itachi summarized. Lily nodded.

"I believe so." She answered, her brows furrowing as she thought. "He isn't the type to let that go."

"Does he mean to kill you?" He asked, his voice firming, wondering if he should speak with Pein about it.

"Not yet." Lily said. "He's too sadistic. He sent Brian most likely as a warning."

"These past two weeks," Itachi started, "you have been gaining information." He assumed. Lily looked up at him with a smirk.

"Yes. But that's not all I was doing." She answered and Itachi looked down at her. "I got back into the scene, meeting up with old connections, and make a few new friends."

"Can you trust them?" He asked.

"The older ones, yeah." She answered and pulled her phone out. "And if I cnt trust the newer ones, it hurts them more than me in the long run. People love me. If they even suspect someone went after me, the city will burn." She explained with a snort.

"Then why not have them go against Tito?" He asked and Lily shook her head.

"He's too big. At least he was. He has to start rebuilding his control." She explained. "He's sadistic and doesn't play by the rules. All my contacts can really do for now is give me information." She told him as she scrolled through her phone. "Hey, it's lunch time, you hungry?" She asked him and put her phone away. Itachi nodded and offered out a hand to her, helping her up. "Don't worry about this. Jo will probably tell you guys later. We may need you help and if not, its still nice to give you guys a heads up incase they bomb the house."

"Is that likely?"

"Well, it's not unheard of." She said with a small smile and he couldn't tell if she was joking or not. As they headed back to the house, she turned to him again and spoke quietly. "I wanted to apologize...for the other day."

"It happens." He answered her, immediately communicating to her that it was in the past. She offered him a small smile and tugged him towards the house, out of he sun.

"Sup, bitches!" Hanna said as she walked into the house, slamming the front door open. Tobi, Deidara, and Kakuzu were sitting in the living room. Deidr jumped slighty and Tobi flipped shit, running out of the room screaming. Hanna just blinked. "You'd think I'd be used to that by now." She mumbled.

"Just ignore him, yeah." Deidara said and waved her over as she dropped the keys in the trey by the door and kicked it closed with her boot. "Come sit." He said. Hanna kicked off her boots and walked over, sitting on the floor next to him and picked up a controller. Her and Deidara played Mario cart for hours on end almost daily. "You're home early, yeah." He pointed out.

"Yeah," She shrugged. "Went out on a job this morning, but we had a problem when we got there. Apparently they hired another company as well. So, we lost that job, and now I have to wait until Monday." Hanna had explained what she does to most of the group. Deidara and Kakuzu knew it since she talks to them a lot. Well, Kakuzu listens.

"Why not go work on the next client's home?" He asked. "Surely, they would want it done sooner than later."

"Can't do that." Hanna said as the race on the video game started. "They had it scheduled for Monday. The clients aren't ready for us." Kakuzu nodded.

"Well, at least you get to come home early." Deidara offered. "You seem to be in a better mood, yeah."

"Mhm." Hanna said. "Jo told me about what was going on with Lily. Turns out its something pretty important." At this, Kakuzu and Deidara paused and looked at her.

"What is it?" Kakuzu asked. Hanna waved her hand at him.

"Don't worry, Jo will let ya'll in on it later." She answered as she crossed the finish line. "Yes! Suck it blondie!" She shouted as she jumped up and danced in place. Deidara grit his teeth and scowled.

"Oh hey, when did you get home?" Kisame asked as he walked in, dripping wet from the pool. Hanna looked at him and smiled.

"Not long ago." She answered. "Get a towel before Jo catches you ruining her carpet." She instructed as she sat back down and began another round. Jo wasn't home quite yet, but she let Hanna know she would be home early. "So where is everyone?"

"Hidan and Sasori were outside, training." Kakuzu answered and Hanna looked back at him with raised eyebrows. "No Jutsu." He assured her. SHe seemed to relax a bit at that until the house shook. Hanna scrambled over deidara and out the living room. SHe bumbed into Lily an dItachi as they two were heading to the backyard. They were joined by Kakuzu, Deidara, Konan, and Pein. Hidan and Sasori just looked at the rest of them equally confused when the earth shook again. Hanna grabbed the doorframe to keep upright and Lily would have fallen if she didn't grab onto Itachi.

"What the fuck?" Lily mumbled. Everyone regained their balance quick enough and the Akatuski looked like they were about to jump into an attack at any moment. Zetsu phased up from the ground and turned to the two girls.

"What's up Zetus, you ok?" Hanna asked him. He nodded at her before speaking.

"We just think you should know it's an earthquake." THe white side said. "Of course it's a fucking earthquake." His dark side said. "What else would it be?" As he argued with himself, the group started to relax, bit by bit. Hanna looked at all of them.

"Damn. Ya'll thought we were being attacked, did you?" She asked. A few shrugged and Hidan and Sasori went back to sparing. Both men were shirtless and in shorts and barefoot. Hanna watched as they moved almost gracefully, blocking, punching, kicking. She didn't even realize almost everyone had gone back in. Pein and Konan stood off to the side and noticed her watching the two spar. They shared a look and nodded at each other. Pein would continue watch over to the two in the yard.

Konan walked over and stood next to Hanna. The two sat watching the two men fight. Konan then turned to Hanna and eyed her up and down. From what she could tell, she was physically fit, had a decent endurance. She had shed her polo shirt and was wearing a tank top tucked into cargo pants.

"Do you know how to fight?" Konan asked. Her voice startled Hanna who visibly flinched before looking at Konan with a slight blush.

"A bit." She admitted. "It's nothing like who you guys fight though." konan nodded.

"Would you like to learn?" She offered and Hanna blinked, mouth falling open a bit. Konan smiled gently at her and started walking out into the yard. SHe motioned for her to follow and she did. "I'll teach you a bit." Hanna followed her into the grass. For the next hour, Konan went over the basics with her, making sure she could through a good punch and block or defect it just as well. Konan found Hanna was a fast learner and by the end of the hour, her and Hanna were going through a series of blocks, punches, and kicks almost as though she had been doing it just as long as the rest of them.

Lily was lounging on one of the sun chairs, sipping lemonade and watching. Itachi was sitting on the edge of the pool while a few others began to head in. Sasori had ended up pushing Hidan into the pool and walking away. Itachi stood up and moved indoors as well. He was alone in the kitchen but was quickly joined by Kisame who went for a soda out of the fridge. THey nodded at each other and Itachi opted for a class of water. He could feel the sun burn on his neck from the sun.

"You and Lily make up?" Kisame asked bluntly. Itachi lifted an eyebrow at him and Kisame smirked. "You know what I'm talking about. Look, Itachi, just tell her. The worst that happens is it gets a little awkward-"

"THat is not what I am concerned about, Kisame." He assured his friend. Kisame was a little taken aback. He was mostly teasing but he had suspected. Itachi and Lily were almost always together, both quiet, but together none the less. "We cannot assume that we will remain here permenantly until we Know for sure." Kisame straightend up from leaning against the counter.

"Right." He admitted. "I honestly kinda forgot." Itachi nodded. It was difficult for him at times to remember. "Maybe they can just come with us."

"No." Itachi immediately shut that down. "Our world is too dangerous. It is dangerous for us, even more so for those who cannot defend themselves."

"Daddy's home!" Jo announced as she slammed the door open. Tobi jumped and screeched, running towards her, wrapping himself around her. "Hello, Candy man." Jo laughed as she tried to steady herself. "Alright, Tobi, get down." She said and TObi obeyed. Deidara stared in shock.

"How, yeah?" He mumbled. "WHat did you do to him?" Jo just smirked and dropped her shit and closed the door.

"Is everyone here?" SHe asked and looked around the room. The only one not in attendance was Lily. "Excellent. Let's get to it."


	19. Woman

"Ah, Fuck!" Jo shouted and threw her eyeliner onto the sink as she scowled at her reflection. "Fucking bullshit. Fuck this shit." She continued as she grabbed another makeup remover wipe and rubbed her eye raw, growling.

"The fuck are you doing in there?" Hidan asked from outside of the bathroom and he turned the knob, wanting to make sure she was alright. He wasn't convinced that she still had a few injuries from her beating. She backed up and slammed the door shut with her butt and back.

"Stay out of the fucking bathroom until I'm done!" She shouted. She smirked when she heard Hidan growl in frustration and storm out. He was not happy after she basically played dress up with him and redid his hair. But Jo said he looked good and apparently that was all that mattered tonight. He was in black slacks and a green dress shirt. He refused to tuck it in and rolled up the sleeves. They fought for about fifteen minutes over it until Hanna begged Kakuzu to step in.

He wasn't the only one subjected to such torture. Hanna and Jo had to help dress most of the akatsuki. Lily had washed, dressed, and headed out early, stating she would finish getting ready there, much to the confusion of the rest of the group. But Hanna and Jo approved, so all was well for now.

Hanna had nabbed Itachi and stuck him with black slacks and a dark purple shirt they had gotten him when they went shopping. Some of the akatsuki had to share or swap clothes in order to look presentable. Kisame was actually stuck into a pair of Kakuzu's grey slacks and a white shirt. When Kisame went out in public, he would always use a jutsu to hide the blue skin, but the blue hair always got him looks, both good and bad.

Pein and Konan both wanted to go with the three girls tonight, and Jo agreed it was a good idea, but they didn't want many more to come. Kakuzu offered to stay home with Tobi and Zetsu, not really wanting to go out and waste money, and it would give him a break from Hidan. Sasori also opted to stay home, much to the displeasure of Deidara, who would want to tag along.

Deidara was stuck in black slacks and a royal blue shirt. His hair was in its usual ponytail and his sleeves were rolled up. The slacks were Sasori's and at first he didn't want the brat in his clothes, but he lost his train of thought when he saw how the pants hugged the man's ass. Jo picked up on it and smirked. _Excellent._ She thought as she got the desired affect. The whole point of dressing them up was to make them look desirable.

Pein wore black slacks and a white shirt. He tucked it in and rolled up the sleeves and even went so far as to unbutton the top two buttons. He looked relaxed, but Jo could see the tension in his face. Jo pulled him aside.

"I appreciate you helping us with this." She said. He nodded to her. "As long as you guys do exactly what we say, you guys will be fine." She said with a smile. "All you guys have to do tonight is have fun and look good, leave the rest to us." She said with a wink before moving away to drag konan upstairs.

Konan was given Jo's white high waisted pencil skirt with the matching crop top that had long sleeves, leaving a small sliver of her midsection exposed. Hanna had given her some gold bracelets and a necklace to match as well as a white and gold clutch. Her hair was down in soft curls, almost unrecognizable. When she stepped out into the living room, Jo and Hanna's jaws dropped. Hanna draped herself over Jo dramatically, half dressed herself, and pretended to sob.

"Our baby girl is all grown up and ready to break hearts!" She wept. "Daddy, they grow too soon!" Jo lazily patted her shoulder in a half assed attempt to console her. They handed over makeup options for Konan to use and left to get dressed themselves.

Hanna was inspired by Konan and pulled out gold sequined high waisted shorts ad nude pumps that had gold tips. She sat and thought about what top to wear. Shrugging she meandered over to Jo's room and passed a fuming hidan on his way out. She shrugged and began to dig in Jo's dresser until she found what she needed. It was a small black strapless crop top. Then she decided to switch shoes. She went for black heels and decided to be really daring and put on black lipstick. She couldn't help but smirk at her reflection as she braided her hair into two braids. She briefly wondered about was Jo was going to wear and hoped she didn't need the top. She quickly dismissed the thought.

Hanna finished her makeup, only adding on mascara, and headed downstairs after grabbing a simple black clutch. She walked in, taking in the boys and making sure everyone was dressed appropriately. She noticed Kakuzu and Zetsu looking at her and smirked with a hand on her hip.

"See something you like?" She asked, completely out of character, throwing a few people off. It must be the lipstick. Kakuzu nodded at her.

"You clean up nice." He offered politely and hanna gave him a smile.

"Her ass looks great in those shorts." Black Zetsu announce, much to the embarrassment of white Zetsu and hanna laughed.

"Oh man, is Konan down yet?" She asked when done laughing. Pein furrowed his eyebrows. _What did they do to her?_ "Man, ya'll are gonna drool."

"I doubt that, Hanna." Konan said as she walked in, her white strappy heels giving her a few inches over Hanna. Then she looked around the room. They weren't drooling, but they were staring and she couldn't help but smile. She had on nude lipstick but bold black winged eyeliner. She looked at Pein and was very satisfied. His eyes were wide and he just stared at her. Why wouldn't he? She was beautiful and stunning.

"Shit, Konan." Hidan laughed. "Who knew you looked so fucking hot?"

"Hanna, have you seen-" Jo stopped mid sentence as she walked into the room in her bra and high waisted green skirt. She stopped and scowled at Hanna. "Fuck you, Hanna. I see how it is." She said and marched away. People just blinked.

"Was she shirtless, yeah?" Deidara asked, startled. "What is it with you guys and stripping, yeha?" He shouted and Hanna just shrugged.

"It used to just be us, remember." She pointed out. "We used to walk around without pants or without shirts all the fucking time." She added casually.

"What was she mad about?" Kakuzu asked, referring to Jo.

"Oh, this is her shirt." Hanna answered with a smile, making several of the guys roll their eyes. They could be so petty sometimes. When Jo finally returned, Hidan couldn't stop looking at her. Even after they piled into cars, he watched her, completely transfixed. Yeah, he's seen her naked several times by now. Yes, she was drop dead gorgeous then too. But he still couldn't stop staring. She wore a tight black dress with fishnets and what could only be described as thigh high black hooker heels. Over it all she wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Her hair was curly and wild and swept over to one side, making her look wild. Her ass almost fell out of the dress and when she walked, her hips swayed wide, causing her to walk like she owned the room. He didn't even notice that he had followed her into the club and onto the dancefloor until someone bumped into him, breaking his focus. He was a little disoriented for a minute but then found her again at the bar, ordering drinks. Hidan grinned to himself and moved in for the kill. He slid up behind her, hands on her hips and leaned in to whisper in her ear. She shivered but pressed back against him. It was going to be a fun night if all went well.

"Lily said she got us a table." Hanna explained as she dragged the others with her. They found a table with their reservation card on it. It was a low table with a long booth running the length of the wall where other tables sat occupied.

The place was different from the first club they had gone too. The last place was more causal. This place had a very modern style, white leather seating, white, sleek tables, bright lights that plused with the music, small platforms where dancers stood, swaying and dancing o the fast paced, aggressive could barely hear each other over the music so after a while, Kisame leaned in to ask his question.

"What happened to Lily?" He asked.

"She should be here." Hanna shouted back but then her eyes snapped open wide and she grinned. A new song began and new dancers started to climb up onto their small stages. She swatted Itachi and Kisame and pointed to a girl on one of the stages. This girl had long hair that was teal and purple on the ends, pulled into low pigtails (similar to Tsunade's actually). The music was fast and loud and aggressive. Her hips moved with the music in a hypnotizing motion, clad in teal metallic hotpants. Her chest was barely covered in a purple metallic bandeau and her flat bottomed sneakers matched, covering her ankles. Itachi stared as he watched her hips move to the music. She would drop down into a squat and dance, first facing away and then sliding to all fours as she teased and taunted those close to her. Once she decided she had enough of that, she then jumped up and over to one of her fellow dancers, dancing with them. They looked like they were enjoying it, but he could see the sweat on them.

"You know you guys can go dance if you want!" Jo shouted over the music as she set down a few shot glasses, passing them out with the help of Hidan. "But first, bottoms up, bitches!" She cheered and clinked glasses with Hanna, who returned the sentiment and they both downed it. The rest of the group followed suit. "Now go out and party!" She cheered as she moved back into the crowd. Hanna stood and winked at Konan and Pein while nodding her head to the dance floor. They needed to be dancing. Pein took the hint and moved through the crowd towards the center of the floor. Deidara followed suit, and quickly ended up with a pretty redheaded girl who would not get the hint.

Hanna then turned her smirk to Itachi. The man was still watching Lily as she danced and riled up those watching her. Hanna slid over to him and he glanced at her briefly before going back to watching his friend. Hanna leaned down so he could hear her.

"Why don't you go watch up close?" She suggested with a smirk. Itachi looked her in the eyes and they stared for a few seconds. Should he? Would she be upset at him? Would it be inappropriate?

While he was having an internal debate, Hanna and Kisame shared a look before Hanna grabbed Itachi's hands and pulled him up, Kisame pushing him to follow her. The three of them slowly made their way through the crowd and as they neared the platform where Lily was dancing, the song ended and a new one begun. This song was a bit familiar to the group, since Lily enjoys playing songs on repeat.

"Give it to me I'm worth it!" The speakers blasted out as the dancers started dancing again. Lily saw her friends at her feet and continued to dance. Itachi saw the small smirk on her face and decided she was fine with him being so close. In fact, Lily ended up on all fours in front of him, her face mere centimeters from his before she pulled back with a smirk and continued to dance. He could barely hear hanna cheering next to him as air returned to his lungs. He hadn't realized he had stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Jo and Hidan were dancing, pressed against each other, his hands on her hips and moving to her ass while she moved against him. She moved to his ear and spoke loud enough for him to hear.

"Don't get carried away big boy," She warned him and he scowled, confused. "Don't forget, I still have a job to do." She chuckled when she felt a grumble in his chest. "Don't worry, I'll take care of you later, big boy." She jested before leaving a loud smooch on his cheek. As she did, she spied Deidara out of the corner of her eye. He was approaching quickly and she turned to him. He leaned in close.

"This chic won't leave me alone." He told her. "She just tried to rip my clothes off too, yeah." Jo laughed and told him to go sit and have a drink, relax.

Kisame and Hanna had left Itachi and decided to dance. They moved together, his hands on her ass as she moved her hips against him. He grinned at her wolfishly. She was surprised at first that he had rhythm, but at the same time, he was a ninja. They could probably do anything.

Eventually, the dancers changed again and Lily high fived the next dancer and headed in back. Itachi watched her go and headed back to the table, finding Deidara with a woman straddling him. He looked incredibly uncomfortable as he tried to remove her. Itachi stepped over and gently removed her and escorted her to the floor before releasing her. He sat down next to deidara who nodded at him in thanks and tried to fix his belt.

"These girls are crazy, yeah." He told itachi while Itachi poured him and himself a drink. "This was the third one." Itachi smirked a bit at that. Poor boy. Deidara nodded in thanks as they both drank, leaning back and just watching everyone.

It wasn't long before a tall blonde woman in a tight black dress walked over. The two men looked at her as she approached. She was one of the bartenders and Itachi recognized her.

"Mr. Uchia?" She asked as she set her tray on the table and began picking up the glasses left there. Itachi leaned forward, listening. The woman smiled softly. "One of the dancers asked me to relay a message."

Lily leaned against the wall, smoking a cigarette in the alley behind the club. She had taken out her extensions and changed only her top, pulling on a bagy shirt that was ripped in a few places. She couldn't help but bounce her leg nervously. Jo was gonna be pissed. She heard footsteps running her way and turned to see Jo, Hidan, and Deidara run around the corner. She dropped her finished cigarette and smudged it with her foot. Speak of the Devil…

"What's wrong?" Jo asked, slightly concerned. Lily looked at her with a guilty smile.

"Got some news but youre not gonna like it." She answered.

"The fuck does that mean?" Jo asked, crossing her arms. Hanna, Kisame, Itachi, Pein and Konan soon came around the corner and joined them in the alley.

"What's going on?" Hanna asked. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Lily answered with a smile. "It's just that Jo has do to something for us." She answered and looked at Jo. Her friend stared back at her confused. They sat in silence for a few beats before it clicked.

"No." Jo mumbled, her eyes furious. "You didn't." Lily offered and apologetic smile and stepped back. "I can't fucking believe you!"

"What's wrong?" Konan asked.

"Lily, did you sign Jo up for a fight again?" Hanna asked, jumping in.

"The fuck does that mean?" Hidan shouted, not likeing being confused.

"It's kinda hard to explain." Hanna offered. "But basically, if Jo wins a fight, she gets money. We haven't gone in a while. Why do we need to go?"

"Because one of Tito's people will be there." Lily explained. "If we just show up, they'll know something's up. But when one of the best fighters makes a come back, no one would suspect us."

"That makes no sense." Jo mumbled pinching the bridge of her nose. She sighed. "Fine, when is it." Lily looked apologetic again.

"In an hour." Jo swung and lily stepped back, dodging easily.

"You fucking expect me to fight in this?" She shouted and Lily shrugged.

"You've fought in less." Lily offered.

"So what's going on, yeah?" Deidara asked. Jo turned to him and cracked her knuckles.

"You get to watch Daddy kick ass."

This chapter is named after Woman by the amazing Kesha. Welcome back!


	20. payback

Kakuzu was sitting on the couch, watching the news as Jo's car pulled up. He watched as Konan, Pein, and Deidara stepped out of the car.

"Where are they?" He asked as they walked through the door.

"They needed to make another stop somewhere." Pein answered. Kakuzu looked at him, shrugged, and went back to watching the news. Pein continued on, intending on going to sleep. Deidara crashed on the couch, kicking his shoes off. Konan was about to follow Pein when the television caught her eye.

" _String of murders connected to local gang…"_

"Gang….gang as in who they are looking into?" Konan asked. Pein walked back into the living room and looked at the television. He sighed slightly before nodding. He felt reassured at who was with them. Itachi and Kisame were a solid group, and even Hidan was a good enough ninja to be able to keep them safe….ish. He took off the button up shirt and sat down on the couch. He wanted to keep an eye out in case something came up. Hopefully that is how the news worked.

The three guys followed the girls down a few blocks until they were on the outskirts of the city. They passed groups of people their age, and a few shady characters. Jo had to prevent a fight between Hidan and a very vocal young man. They eventually found themselves in an area that was full of warehouses and empty buildings. Some had lines outside of them and had flashing lights and thudding music from the inside. They came to a small warehouse with two guys standing outside. Jo walked up to them and they cracked into huge smiles and shouted as they approached.

"Ayyye!" One called to her. "What's shaking baby?" He called as he wrapped his large arms around her in a hug. Jo laughed and hugged him back. They separated and spoke briefly. The conversation ended with a wink and smile from her before she slid past him and walked in. As she did, something shifted in the way she carried herself. Her shoulders were squared and head was held high. She walked like a predator, top of the food chain, and even though she was short, she looked like she could take down every person in the room.

The room itself took up the whole warehouse. In the center, illuminated by industrial lights, was a fighting ring with a sturdy young man standing over another. There were some metal bleachers on two sides of it and people standing, gathered around. Another man hopped up into the ring, announcing the winner. He held up the arm of the victor and people cheered. As Jo moved through the crowd, they parted like the red sea.

"Randy, my man. Undefeated!" The guy said loudly. "Ain't no one can beat this boy!" The guy smiled. "Is there anyone in this room who is _stupid_ enough to tae this fucker on?" The guy laughed as Randy sauntered around. Most of the crowd on the floor was quite now, staring at Jo and backing away. She didn't say anything but just climbed up and walked to the center, smirking. "Oh my goodness!" the guy shouted, his hands on his head and a big grin on his face. He addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gents, y'all are in for treat!" He indicated to Jo. "This bitch is back! Fight, man, fight for your life!" He laughed and got off the stage. The two met in the middle of the stage. They were talking quietly.

"You guys should follow Lily, go sit." Hanna suggested.

"They going to fight or something?" Kisame asked. Hanna nodded, solemn.

"She'll be fine, but you'll want to sit. Once the music starts, it gets a little rough." Hanna suggested. Itachi looked down to his arm when he felt Lily pulling him towards one of the bleachers. They were climbing up when the music started. They looked to the ring. Jo had tossed her boots off and Hanna had them next to her. Hanna stood near a corner near the announcer.

They weren't really paying much attention to Hanna though. They were more interested in the fight, if you could call it that. It was more like a brutal takedown. Jo was finished before the song got started. The boy, Randy, hit the floor and stayed down. The announcer put something in Hanna's hand. Jo spun on her bare foot, looking around.

"Who's next?"

A few fights had gone down and Jo was still standing. Some got a few good hits, but she always came out on top. Kisame leaned to talk to Lily but kept his eyes on the ring as another challenger stepped up.

"At first I was worried about her, already being pretty hurt from that guy, but I guess she's tougher than she looks." He said. He didn't get a response and when he looked to where she was sitting, he saw the seat was empty. He looked around, bewildered and Itachi caught him looking around. Lily was missing. Kisame caught a glimpse of her going out a door and elbowed Itachi. Itachi looked and caught a glimpse of her metallic shoe before the door closed. He slipped off the bleacher and headed out after her. They needed to stick together.

Itachi quietly slipped out into the night and didn't see anyone. He looked towards the street where a lamp illuminated the area but he heard voices from back behind some dumpsters in the opposite direction. He quietly walked over and heard Lily speaking.

"No, you don't do shit until you hear from me, got it?" She ordered. "In order for this to work, we gotta keep this quiet."

"And how we know you aint a snitch?" Some snivelly sounding kid asked.

"If she was a snitch would she be askin' for help?" Another voice snapped and the sound of a smack resonated.

"Knock it off." Lily said. "You know what to do. If you got anything you need to tell me, you go the number."

"If we can't reach you?" The third voice asked. There was silence.

"Gimme your phone." She said and clicking could be heard. "There. I put it in your notes. It's the name of a cop. You can trust him. If you can't get to me, someone else has. Get this cop. He'll help."

"Got it. You sure you ok?" The third voice asked again. He heard her laugh.

"I'm better than I've been in months" She said. "Take care boys." She said and he heard footsteps coming closer. He hid in the shadows until she got close enough. He grabbed her arm and covered her mouth before pushing her against the wall. He waited until the other two people went their own way before looking at her. She looked pissed. He slowly moved his hand away. "What the fuck?" She hissed.

"I didn't want them to know I heard the conversation." He explained. She rolled her eyes and pushed him off her, greatful for the dark. She grabbed his hand and lead him back inside. They moved up next to Hanna who was looking at the ring in mild concern. It wasn't hard to find out why. The crowd was freaking out. Jo was on her back, using her legs to keep the girl she was fighting from completely over powering her as the girl punched and punched and punched. "Shit."

"Yeah, I know right." Hanna mumbled back. Jo swung a leg over the girl's shoulder and trapped her between her thighs, trying to choke her. The girl tried to hit but found she couldn't. Instead, she lifted JO and slammed her back down on the ground. "She's gotta be desperate if she's pulling that shit."

Jo yelled out in pain and the girl stomped on her chest. She brought her foot up again and went to stomp but jo rolled three times before rocking up onto her feet. She lunged and landed a punch on the girl's face. She struck again and the girl fell. Jo grabbed her by the back of her shirt and hair, picked her up and slammed her down again before kneeling on her back and slamming her face into the floor. This went on until the girl stopped fighting. Jo looked over to the three of them, blood falling from her nose and mouth, cut on her eyebrow, and stood, making to leave the ring. The announcer handed over an envelope to her and they headed back over to the bleachers. Well, Lily went and got the other two and met them at the edge of the crowd, ready to leave.

Once out of the building, many questions were asked.

"Are you ok?" "What the fuck is in the envelope?" "Where they fuck did you go?" Hanna and Jo explained that all the fights she did got them money since she won. Jo was limping and barefoot after someone kicked her knee. It hurt like hell and she was worried about it but hid it well. Maybe Kakuzu or Sasori could help her. Hidan noticed her struggling to keep up and crouched down in front of her and she jumped on his back, wrapping her legs around him. They had just reached the cars when a voice called out.

"Hey!" they all stopped and looked at the three guys near them. Lily let out a quiet swear. Jo climbed down and straightened up, moving in front of her friends. "We got a bone or two to pick." The guy infront with a baseball bat said with a lazy smile. Jo moved forward infront of her friends. Lily backed up towards the cars, keys in hand. Jo cracked her knuckles.

"I guess I can handle one more fight."

The tv was mostly background noise at this point, but Kakuzu left it on. Deidara was sitting up but snoring. He fell asleep shortly after he returned home. Pein and Konan had gone to bed already. Kakuzu himself was starting to nod off when zetsu came up from the floor.

"They're home." He announced as the front door creaked open and in slunk the rest of the group. Kakuzu raised his eyebrow at the sight of Hidan and Jo. She looked downright sexy when she left, now she was….barely kept together. She had a new black eye, cut on her eyebrow, blood from her mouth and nose, her shirt was ripped and dirty and her tights were even more holey. Her hair was sticking out in a million directions and she had a contented smile on her face. Hidan was giving her a piggy back and almost looked exasperated. Was she giving him a run for his money? Thank god.

"Night, Kakuzu." Hanna said as she walked by and headed up the steps.

"Go as planned?" he asked. Hanna gave a wiggle with her hand.

"Eh, mostly." She explained.

"I got what I needed done." Lily elaborated. "But Jo got into a fight on the way back."

"Worth it." She mumbled and dropped her head on Hidan's shoulder. She pointed towards the stairs. "Bed. Need." Hidan rolled his eyes but complied, feeling pretty tired himself, and the two disappeared from the room as well.

"You didn't wait up for us, did you?" Lily asked with a soft smile.

"Pein requested it." Kakuzu answered and turned off the tv. Deidara was still snoring away. Lily smiled and she and itachi headed upstairs as well, followed by Kakuzu. "Should we get Deidara?"

"No." was itachi's simple response.

"His own fault." Kakuzu elaborated, "for falling asleep there." Lily chuckled and kept walking. She walked up the steps and down the hall to her room. Her hair was down, extentions in one hand and shoes in the other. She stepped inside and left the door open. She dropped the shoes on the floor and the extensions on the desk. Itachi lingered, just watching her. She threw on a large t-shirt and removed her shorts and top underneath it. She was so quick Itachi didn't have a chance to look away. She tossed her hair up in a bun and looked at him.

"Are you going to come in?" She asked him. He shook his head.

"I won't bother you longer." He explained. "I merely wanted to wish you a goodnight." He said and turned to leave. He took a step away but was stopped by a hand on his wrist. She was fast. He looked at her and she dropped his hand.

"You can stay here again." She told him quietly. He eyed her, unsure if she was just being polite or not. She straightened up but leaned against the door frame. Her face had a slight tint of pink but her voice was steady. "I'd like you to stay with me."

Itachi nodded and followed her into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Phew, that was fun." Hanna said as she plopped down on the bed. She had changed into pajamas and wiped most of her makeup off. Kisame grinned and sat next to her.

"Yeah, you girls know how to party." He said, pulling back the covers. Hanna slipped under and sprawled out, pushing Kisame out of the way with a smirk. Kisame laughed and forced her over, making enough room for himself and then stealing the blanket for himself. Hanna just kicked him off the bed at that point.

Jo dropped her shirt to the floor and she neared Hidan who sat on her bed. She straddled him and kissed him, biting his lip. He smirked and brought his hands to her hips. It escalated of course, to grunts and moans, biting and sighs, before they wound down. Jo was out like a light, but Hidan stayed up. He knew she could hold her own in a fight, but the way she fought earlier had him stumped. It looked as thought fighting for her came as naturally as breathing. He could understand why she wouldn't fight her ex while they were together, but after apart….why wouldn't she stick up for herself?

Hidan shook his head. It wasn't his business and he didn't really care anyway. He looked down at her face. She was relaxed. No glaring, scowling, frowning, just relaxed. She was really kind of….alluring.


	21. not as they appear

When Hanna woke up, she didn't bother with getting dressed. It was already well into the afternoon and people were hurting from the night prior. When she went downstairs in her sweatpants and found a few people up in the living room. Jo was on the couch, her leg propped up on the coffee table with ice on her knee. She had bruises on her face and her nose looked a little crooked. She was in grey shorts with a tank top with a middle finger on it. She didn't wear makeup and her hair was in a messy bun. She looked like shit.

Hanna nodded at her as she passed by to the kitchen. She bumped into Sasori, literally, as she stepped into the kitchen. She apopolgized but he quietly waved her off.

"Good afternoon." He told her and she smiled and returned the sentiments. "There is still food from lunch available."

"Lunch?" Hanna asked and peared past him. Someone made a bunch of sandwiches and pulled out all of their chips, laying them on the counter. She was mildly impressed. "Thanks. Who pulled out the food?" Sasori shrugged.

"A few of us made the food." He answered. "Jo pulled out the chips." Hanna nodded and thanked him. He left her in the kitchen and she grabbed a plate for herself and headed back into the living room. A bunch of people who were awake were lounging around. Pein and Konan weren't present. Jo had gotten the tv in their room working right and since then, they've been keeping to themselves, watching Netflix.

Zetsu and Itachi were actually outside, working in the garden in the backyard. Sasori was there earlier, taking advantage of the little herb garden they had. Kisame was still upstairs asleep. Hidan was on the couch with Jo and Kakuzu. Sasori sat in a chair with Deidara leaning back against his legs. She had spied Tobi out in the pool, splashing around and keeping himself occupied.

Hanna sat on the floor next to the table and looked at Jo.

"Jo, your nose is crooked." She pointed out.

"Ah shit. Don't fucking start this shit again." Hidan groaned and tossed his head back. Hanna just blinked in confusion.

"She won't let us fix it." Kakuzu told hanna. She just nodded and went back to eating. It was a realtively quiet day. They were all just lounging around, watching Tv and eating. Kisame and Lily both woke up and Konan and Pein would come downstairs for snack and to check up on everyone.

"Jo your nose is fucked up." Lily pointed out.

"So is your face, but you don't see me complaining." Jo mumbled as she sipped her beer.

"Wow, that was uncalled for." Lily told her. "Come here, lemme fix that nose for ya!" She shouted and shook her fist at Jo.

"Guys, calm down." Hanna said from her seat on the floor.

"What's the matter, jo?" She asked. "Scared it'll hurt?" She joked as she neared Jo. Jo handed her beer to Hidan and pushed into the couch, wanting to get as far from Lily as she could. Hanna sighed and grabbed her food, moving to sit next to Deidara who eyed her before looking back at Lily who was now on top of Jo, trying to get a hold of Jo's nose to fix it.

"Fuck off!" Jo shouted and shoved Lily. "You'd have to break it to fix it, just leave it alone."

"No, Im gonna fix your nose!" Lily said and got back on top of her.

"Dude, just fuck off!" JO yelled.

"Help me hold her down!" Lily shouted at Kakuzu. He sighed but complied, holding one of Jo's arms away from Lily.

"Fuck you too, stitches!" She shouted and before long Hidan grabbed her other arm.

"Stop being such a pussy." He told her as she tried to bite Lily. Lily pushed her thumbs against Jo's nose, forcing it back. Jo screamed in a mix of pain and rage before headbutting Lily. Lily fell off and Jo stood to follow. She was going to beat the shit out of her friend but was blinded by tears and pain from her leg. She had put weight on her injured knee and fell, holding her was screaming at Lily and her two accomplises for a few minutes before she just sat there, crouched and breathing. Hanna moved to her side and rubbed her back.

"You ok, Jo?" She asked quietly. Jo didn't move or speak. Hanna was worried by this and put her face close to Jo's. She heard soft snoring and rolled her eyes. She looked at Lily. "Jo fell asleep."

"I don't blame her." Lily said. "That shit hurts like a bitch."

"You didn't have to be so mean about it." Hanna pointed out. Lily shrugged and ate her sandwich.

"Had to get done."

That was the only excitement for the night. The week progressed and Lily never heard back from anyone. They all started to fall into a routine. On the week days, Jo would be up with a few others early in the morning. Someone had breakfast going and she would eat and head off to work, coffee in hand. Some days Hanna would go off to work. Every once in a while she would have the day off. Lily would stay home with everyone, cleaning or just hanging out. Hanna was still being taught how to fight by the Akatsuki and Lily joined her. Both were fast learners but both had different skills. When Konan and Pein watched them spar, either with each other or with another Akatsuki member, they noticed how all three of the girls fought were very different. Jo would occasionally partake in the sparing, especially after a stressful day.

Hanna's fighting style was perhaps the most unique. She stood in steady stances and waited for her opponent to make the first move. Not once did she attack. She also focused more on defending herself. She would block and rarely strike, letting her opponent wear themselves out just a little bit before she would grab them, or trip them, getting them on the ground. From there she would pin them or subdue them. It was very different from how Jo fought.

Jo charged right in. She always struck first and she struck hard. She had left a good number of bruises on almost all of the Akatsuki. She relied on her strength and put her whole body weight into her strikes. She would kick and punch as hard as she could. Of the three she probably had the most physical strength and that was how she would win. Jo knew weak points and applied her strongest hits there.

Lily was by far the fastest. She was lean and swift. Lily didn't have a lot of physical strength so she relied on her speed. She was also sneaky. At one point she ended up on Kisame's back, choking him out until he tapped out or passed out. She was able to dodge and deflect blows with relative ease due to her flexibility and this was her special feature. While both Jo and Hanna had some level of sturdiness to them, Lily didn't. She could only take so may hits before being knocked off her feet. To compensate, she stuck fast. Her matches never lasted long.

Pein was mildly surprised they were able to fight so well. The world they were in didn't seem like fighting was really too necessary. Yet these three girls learned and adapted quickly. They could almost keep up with the Akatsuki. Almost.

The three girls did not have chakra so of course the Akatsuki had to hold back. They didn't want to kill their hosts.

Weeks went by in this manner and weeks turned into months. Jo and Hidan fought like cats and dogs but were still pretty close. Hanna and Kisame kept growing closer. Hanna was not as quick to jump into a sexual situation with anyone so it was slow, but it was at least making progress. Itachi and Lily seemed to be at this weird impasse. But they were good friends.

The warm sunny weather turned cool and then the leaves started to turn colors and fall. It was mid October when things were starting to be out of routine. Lily had started classes again but they adjusted to that quickly.

Lily sat at her desk with her face on the desk, groaning. Itachi waited in the door for a minute, smirking a bit at her behavior. She had been doing that for a while. He walked over and sat a mud down next to her head. She shifted and looked at it before sitting up with a smile. She loved peppermint tea.

"What is wrong?" He asked her quietly as she sipped her drink. He looked her over quickly. She was in a long sleeved black turtle neck and ripped jeans. Her hair was up in a bun.

"Just this math course is a pain in the ass." She told him and kept sipping her tea. She gave him a glance. They had recently gotten the boys some warmer clothes for the colder months. None of them had really expected to have the Akatsuki here this long, but they adjusted. It was actually nice to have them around at this point. But Itachi looked good in a sweater. His sweater was a thin wine colored one and he wore jeans with it. Everyone wore jeans or sweatpants at this point. Hell, Jo got Hidan a hoodie. He wore it one day before she stole it.

"Why don't you explain it to me, let me see if I can help." He offered. He had been offering his help often, and it actually did help. They got to work on the math quickly and were so involved in it, they lost track of the world around them. So when someone screamed bloody murder, they were both startled. Lily was so startled her pencil went across her notebook in one long line. Itachi stood and faced the door, ready for an intruder. The screaming grew nearer and they watched as Hanna flew past the door screaming the entire way. Lily and Itachi looked at each other before following her. They came into the living room, followed by a few people who were up in the attic.

Everyone was huddled in the living room. Jo was trying to console Hanna as she struggled to get past everyone. She looked like she want to leave.

"What the hell is going on, yeah?" Deidara asked from behind lily. Lily looked at him over her shoulder and shrugged.

"Hanna, Hanna stop it!" Jo shouted and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. "What the hell is going on?"

"Those fucking things are in my room!" She screamed and grabbed jo, shaking her shoulders. "They're in my fucking bed! My bed!"

"Wait, you mean those cricket spider things, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah!" Hana told him. Lily visibly cringed.

"Is that really something to scream about, though?" Sasori asked, rather irritated. He had thought something actually exciting had happened. The three girls just looked at him with pity and shook their heads.

"Alright, let's see if we can get them out of the room." Jo said and looked around, looking for someone. "Heyo candyman! Get your ass out here!" And like the good boy he is, Tobi came running from only god knows where to latch himself onto Jo's legs.

"Tobi is here! Tobi is a goodboy! Tobi wants to help!" He cooed as he rubbed her leg. She pet his head and shook him off, walking away.

"Maybe we should get Zetsu to help again." Hanna mumbled as she followed. Everyone slowly dispersed to do their own thing until dinner. They would hear the occaisional shriek from the girls and Tobi and the thumping around but eventually they all quieted down. That could mean one of two things. They killed the bugs, or the bugs killed them.

Pein, Konan, Lily and Itachi ended up in the kitchen, drinking tea. Lily had decided she wanted to take a break from math and catch up with her housemates.

"So, how are you all holding up?" She asked as she sat down. "I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"It's understandable." Konan assured her. "We've been informed that your studies are very important." Lily smiled at her in gratitude.

"We are all well." Itachi assured her. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please." She said lightly. "you guys are probably all bored out of your minds here."

"It is true." Konan admitted. "We are not used to a leisurely lifestyle."

"It's too cold to swim, so you guys are free to go for a run as long as one of us are with you." Lily told them. "It's not much, but maybe it will help keep you guys in shape since the colder months are coming."

"Would it be possible for us to work?" Pein asked. "It would give everyone something to do and help lighten the financial burden we have put on you three."

"I appreciate the offer, but honestly that would be incredibly difficult to pull off." Lily explained. "You would need Id's and social security numbers and that's not something I can do." She took a sip of her tea.

"Is there someone who you know who would be able to do this?" Itachi asked.

"The guy I'm trying to take down." She answered smoothly. "Look, we will figure something out soon."

"We've been discussing possibilities as to why we are here." Konan explained. "So far, we can't think of anything."

"Well, have you asked Madara?" Lily asked as she sipped her tea. "Surely he must have an idea." Itachi stiffened. Pein and Konan shared confused looks.

"Madara Uchia?" Pein asked. "How is he relevant?" He asked. Lily frowned and looked at everyone.

"Wait, I'm confused." She told them. "Isn't Tobi-" She was cut off by Tobi, Jo, and Deidara charging into the room.

"Get up bitches! We gotta start dinner." Jo shouted as Tobi just ran around the room, causing general chaos. Deidara moved to the alcohol cabinet and pulled out two bottles of wine, one red and the other white. He put the white in the fridge to chill and pulled out a wine screw to open the red. Jo started pulling out the things to cook.

"Hey, Jo." Lily called her over. Jo came over, mildly irritated. "They don't know who tobi is." She pointed out and Jo dropped the things in her hands, slamming them down on the table.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN!" She shouted, drawing in Kisame and Kakuzu from the other room. "YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE MAIN MASTERMIND BEHIND YOUR WHOLE OPERATION IS?" She screamed at them. The three at the table just stared at her shocked. Jo spun around, grabbing Tobi and slamming him in the chair. "Fine, alright. I present to you-" she said as she grabbed his masked and whisked it off his face. "Madara Uchia!" There was silence as they all stared at the face behind the mask. Jo and Lily were frozen.

"Uh, why did you take off his mask, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"Who the hell is Madara Uchia?" Kisame asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Jo was still frozen. Lily poked the face that belonged to Tobi.

"Well, this isn't him." Lily asked. Jo dropped the mask. She was in shock. Who the fuck was this? Where was Madara?

"Who the fuck is this?" She screamed, pointing at him. Poor Tobi just looked dumbfounded.

"That's Tobi, yeah." Deidara answered as he handed her a glass of wine. "You never see his face before?"

"How did you know about Madara Uchia?" Itachi asked. "Madara has been dead for a long while. He died in a battle against the first Hokage." He explained. Lily kept poking and pulling at his cheeks, shaking her head.

"No, that's impossible." She mumbled. "This has to be Madara. Why else would you guys be after all the tailed demons."

"We weren't." Kisame told her. "We were actually about to meet with a squad from the Village Hidden in the Leaf to discuss an alliance."

"What the fuck?" Jo mumbled as she started sipping her wine. "This isn't good."

"What's wrong?" Konan asked.

"If you guys are from a different timeline, it means all we know is potentially wrong, making it harder to get you guys home." Lily explained. "Jo, maybe we should show them Naruto Shippuden." Jo nodded, agreeing with her.

"Maybe that way we can determine what is different and what is the same." Jo added, moving to pick up the things she dropped. "But first we need food."

"What's Naruto Shippuden?" Konan asked.

hey guys i went ahead and changed this chapter. i like this better, it moves the plot forward and isn't so shitty


	22. poke

It was three days into the Naruto Shippuden binge and there were already numerous discrepancies.

"Then I guess out knowledge is pretty useless." Jo said, leaning back into the couch, sipping on her wine.

"Well, we know most personal information on them." Lily pointed out. "Like Itachi still is considered an outlaw. Most of them are, they just aren't looking for the tailed demons."

"And Madara isn't the main antagonist." Jo mentioned. "Well there goes that idea."

"What idea?" Itachi asked her, turning from his spot on the floor.

"Well, I guess it can't hurt now." She said rubbing the back of her head. "I was gonna try and get Madara, to look into creating a jutsu to send you guys home." She paused and looked around. "In the series, Tobi is actually Madara in disguise. He would be one of the few people we would know of who can even come close to creating such a jutsu."

"But now that Tobi is just Tobi…." Lily commented and threw her hands up in surrender.

"Is Tobi not a good boy anymore?" He looked up at Jo. His mask was off and the man was extremely good at the puppy dog eyes. It almost made Jo cry the other day. She offered him a smile.

"You're still my very sweet candy man." She told him, making him light up like a christmas tree. Deidara rolled his eyes and huffed.

"I think we have seen enough to ensure the plot is different from our reality." Pein announced as he stood up, grabbing his plate and taking it to the kitchen. He was surprisingly helpful when it came to kitchen chores.

"Thank god." Lily stood and stretched. "I can only take so much of Naruto at a time."

"You love this show." Jo pointed out.

"I do." Lily agreed. "But I have also been missing a shit ton of homework for this show."

"Goddamnit, Lily." Jo mumbled. Lily only gave a goofy smile.

Life at the house had gotten pretty routine. Several of the Akatsuki helped out daily. Others helped out every few days with more difficult things, such as cleaning bathrooms. Hanna was picking up a bit more work. Jo would work but lately she had been spending more time in the garden. Zetsu was helping her gather things before the first frost. The days were getting cooler and she wanted to stock up on as many veggies and herbs she could. Zetsu also helped her plant new things that would grow in the spring. Some of the vegetables they had grown were peas and tomatoes mostly. Zetsu and Jo planned on growing squash next.

Jo and Hidan had been kind of a steady thing. Sure they fought often, but they actually worked pretty well together. When they weren't fighting each other, they were honestly a terrifying pair. But it was rare they were getting along that well.

Things between Hanna and Kisame weren't so ….productive. Hanna had been out to work and would often come home exhausted or at odd times. Everytime Kisame would try to kiss her, she would blush and shuffle away, busying herself, or someone would walk in. They could hardly get a moment to themselves. SOemtimes they would kiss. Sometimes they would do more than kiss, but it never got too steamy.

It was fairly late in the evening and everyone was dispersing to their rooms or sleeping areas. Kisame walked into Hanna's room and saw her at her desk. She was typing something into her laptop.

"Oh, hey Kisame." She greeted with a bright smile. "I've been saving up this past month, and soon we may be able to afford a few mattresses so the people upstairs don't have to use sleeping bags and shit." She explained and moved back towards her laptop. Kisame shut the door behind him. He stood there for a minute, looking at her. Her brown hair was dark from being wet. She had showered. Hanna wore a light baggy T-shirt and shorts.

She smelled like the sea. She smelled wonderful. Kisame walked over to her bed and sat down. She kept typing away.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, not looking at him as she typed.

"Nothing too exciting." He said as he stretched. She finished tying something. And closed her laptop. She looked at him with a smile.

"Well that's no fun." She teased. He smirked at her as she moved over to him. She stood before him. "What's on your mind." She looked him dead in the eyes and crossed her arms. "What's really on your mind?" Kisame met her stare, mildly surprised. He leaned back on his hands.

"Us." He answered. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Us?"

"Us." He confirmed. She looked at him, studying him. Figuring out what he meant wasn't hard. He was asking her. What did she want? The Akatsuki could potentially leave one day, would she be able to handle that? Did she want him? These were just some of the questions she could think of. To answer, she settled herself on his lap, straddling him, leaned in and kissed him. She was soft at first, gentle. But she deepened it and Kisame followed her lead. She applied pressure against his chest, gently persuading him to lay back. He complied and his hands found their way to her body, feeling her thighs and waist. She dropped her hips and rubbed against him. Kisame slipped his hands under her shirt and removed it swiftly. She was about to drop down to kiss him again when they had a slight…interruption.

"You fucking grey haired prick!" They heard Jo shout from the other room.

"Don't fucking call me that!" Hidan shouted back. "I'm not some fucking old man."

"You sure are pissy enough to be, old man!" She shouted. There was a thud. Hidan wasn't shouting, but he was loud enough to hear.

"Guess you got a thing for older dick then, hu?" He asked her. Hanna got flustered and Kisame started laughing as a thumping sound came from the other room. Hanna pounded her fist on the wall.

"Would you two shut up!" She shouted and only got a loud thud in response, but the thuds after quieted. Hanna was beyond mortified and was only broken out of her mild shock by Kisame laughing underneath of her. "I really didn't want to hear that." She mumbled.

"Eh, you get used to it after a while." He said, speaking from the experience of living in the same area as Hidan for a while. "If you wanted, we could give them a taste of their own medicine." He suggested with a smirk. Hanna actually blushed before mumbling something. "Eh? What was that?" He asked, smirking.

"I'm really quiet in bed." She confessed a little louder. "Most of the time, the guys I've slept with can't tell if I'm having a good time, 'cause I don't make a noise." She looked away, blushing. Kisame smirked and flipped her over, pinning her down.

"I'll take that as a challenge." He all but growled in her ear and she squeaked, a little startled.

Morning came and Lily entered the kitchen yawning. She stretched and looked around. Everyone was still asleep. Jo stood in the kitchen, though. Coffee was brewing and she was bringing out some ingredients and mixing bowls and utensils.

"Pancakes?" Lily asked as she grabbed a mug and started getting coffee. "What's the occaision?"

"I want pancakes." Jo said with a smile and a shrug.

"Want me to go get Hanna?" Lily suggested.

"She'll be down soon." Jo told her. "She just went to go grab her ipod."

"Aw.." Lily whined. "How come no one woke me up?" Jo just gave her a look. _Are you shitting me?_

"Got it!" Hanna said as she came into the kitchen and put it in the doc. She started playing music but didn't blast it. She moved to get bacon and eggs out of the fridge. JO started mixing the batter. Lily sat o the counter, drinking coffee. Hanna chucked and waved her away. She hopped off the counter for her friend and Hanna started cracking eggs. Lily started opening the bacon.

The smell of the food cooking wafted upstairs and people started congregating downstairs in search of food. They were met by music and the three girls cooking. The stack of pancakes grew higher until they were almost falling off the plate.

Peopl filed in, grabbed a plate, and gathered in the living room. It was lively and fun. Most people had been off doing their own thing the past few weeks so just sitting all together was a very loud situation. They all ate and joked and what not.

Lily was sitting on one of the chairs, eating and fiddling with her phone.

"Hey," Deidara asked from his spot on the floor next to her chair. "What re you up to, yeah?"

"Just Pinterest." She told him as she set her now empty plate aside. "Nothing exciting."

"What's Pinterest, yeah?" He asked.

"It's a website….uh…" Hanna tried to explain but after several failed attempts, she just gave up. "I'll show you guys later."

"Holy shit." Lily mumbled, getting the attention of a few people. Konan looked to her, confused. "No fucking way."

"What's wrong?" Konan asked. Lily didn't seem to hear her as she typed and scrolled through her phone.

"Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod!" She started to shout before she stood up and did a weird scream and laugh combination. She was getting quite a few odd looks.

"What? What happened?" Hanna asked. Lily was jumping around and pulled Hanna over to her and practically shoved her phone in her face. Hanna gasped. "No fucking way!" Her and Lily grabbed each other and screamed before jumping up and down in circles.

"What the hell is wrong with them?" Sasori asked, looking at Jo who just shrugged, just as confused. Well, until they started chanting.

"OTP! OTP! OTP!" They shouted as they spun.

"OTP?" Konan asked. Jo facepalmed.

"Just ignore them." She said as she grabbed a pillow and threw it at them, hitting them both in he head. Lily was knocked over. "You two are fucking nerds."

"No, Jo you don't understand." Hanna told her earnestly. She waved her over, shooting Itachi a weird glance. JO furrowed her eyebrows, confused, but stood up and walked over to the two. The Akatsuki all watched them, curious as they whispered to each other. Pein and Konan looked at Itachi who shrugged in response. Jo gasped and swore before glancing at the Uchia herself. She quickly looked back at the phone.

The three were looking at a Naruto website. They were looking at Sasuke Uchia's article and saw under his relationships category that he had not only married Sakura, but had a child with her.

"I can't believe it." Jo told them. "WE really gotta catch up in the series."

"I know." Hanna agreed. "This came out of no where. I can't believe she married him."

"Yeah." Lily agreed. "Isn't it awesome!"

"What?" Jo asked, crossing her arms. "Are you kidding? She could have done so much better than him!"

"Are you three going to tell us what is going on?" Kakuzu asked.

"No." Was all they said, in unison. However, Tobi had snuck up on them and swiped Lily's phone.

"Tobi no!" Lily cried out as he backed away and held out a foot to keep her away. "Stupid ninja!"

"Ohhh!" Tobi cooed. "Itachi's little brother got married! And had a kid! Aw! Itachi's and Uncle!"

"We don't know that!" Lily argued. "That's in the series! It's completely different from your guy's reality!"

"That's really weird, yeah." Deidara offered, looking at ITcahi. "I can't picture you as an unlce."

"Neither can I." Itachi offered. There was a crash as Lily tackled Tobi to get her phone back.

After that, people started cleaning up. Tobi got stuck doing dish duty while Jo put the food away. She noticed they were running low on some things. She grabbed a pad of paper and started making a list. They needed lots of eggs. She wrote down a few things that were stored in the fridge that they were out of or low on. Then she moved to the pantry and cupboards, making a list. They had no ramen left at all. She left Tobi in the kitchen and walked out to the living room were hanna and a few other sat. Lily was sitting on the floor, using the coffee table to do homework.

"Hey Hanna, can you run to the grocery store and pick up some stuff?" Jo asked. "I want to get stocked up before the week starts again." Hanna looked up confused.

"Uh, sure, but why can't you." She asked.

"First off, your car is bigger so you can fit more stuff." Jo explained and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Also, I have to go establish dominance over this house again."

"I told you we shouldn't have taught them Uno." Lily commented and looked away from her laptop. "Who all is playing?"

"Hidan, Sasori, Deidara, Zetsu, and I think Konan." She explained.

"Want me to see if anyone wants to tag along?" Hanna asked. Jo shrugged as she began to walk away.

"Your car." She said and Hanna looked at a few people in the room. Kisame, Kakuzu, Pain, Sasori, and Tobi all sat there, looking at her. Deidara walked in, putting his wet hair in a bun.

"So who wants to go?" She asked. Tobi all but ran out of the house and was bouncing around her car. She grimaced. "I'm going to need someone to help me with him."

"I will go." Pein offered. Hanna grinned up at him as he stood and moved to the door. All of their shoes were there. It was origionally just a huge pile until Jo organized it. Pein was in jeans and a grey sweater. Tobi wore sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt, both black. Hanna stood up and spilled on her flip flips, not bothering to chang out of her leggings and a hoodie. It was just the store. Kisame followed her too. She offered him a smile and Pein walked out the door to calm Tobi and get him in the car.

"Thanks for coming." She told him. He smiled and headed out as well. "Kakuzu, can you help? You always help me save money." She asked. He looked over his shoulder before grunting and standing. He wore black sweatpants and an olive shirt. He shuffled out the door with them and with that, they were gone.

"So glad I'm not in that car, yeah." Deidara said.

"You and me both." Lily agreed. Deidara shrugged and left the room, heading to the attic where the Uno showdown was going to take place.

"I suppose I should go as well." Sasori admitted as he stood and left the room. "Good luck with your assignment." He told Lily who thanked him with a smile. It was just Itachi and Lily. They looked at each other briefly before she looked away and apologized.

"I'm sorry about this morning." She offered.

"What do you mean?" He asked, not sure. Was she apologizing for Tobi telling the secret? Or Because his brother had a family.

"It's just…" she trailed off and looked at her lap, fiddling with her nails. "That can't be easy, hearing your brother has a family now, and not knowing whether or not it's true, if your missing out."

"I don't understand." He told her.

"Look," she said looking him dead in the eyes. "You guys are in a weird place, I don't know how you and sasuke left off before you came here, but if you were in your own world, you would at least have a chance to talk to him, meet his wife and their daughter. I'm sorry that you no longer have that opportunity to even see if it's real in your world." She spoke so earnestly, he believed that she was truly sorry for him, he could practically feel the compassion and sympathy rolling off her. He couldn't help but smile at her concern.

Itachi stood from his spot on the chair and walked over to her. Lily sat there, watching him. He knelt down in front of her, a gentle smile on his face before he lifted his hand. Lily sat there, shocked as he poked her forehead. She couldn't do anything other than sit and stare.

"Don't worry so much." He told her before standing and starting to walk out of the room. "I'm going to shower. I'll be back."

Up in the attic, snacks were being passed around and friendships were being replaced with alliances and then those alliances were shattered.

"Draw four, bitch!" Jo shouted as she slammed the card down.

"Damnit, why do you keep doing this, yeah?" Deidara grumbled as he picked up four cards. Jo just stuck her tongue out at him. A few more turns were taken. Konan almost won until Hidan slapped her with a skip and then the next round a draw two. She was less than pleased and you could tell by her eerily calm demeanor.

"Damn, you are rutheless." Jo commented as Sasori kept slamming KAkuzu with draws, skips, and flips. Kakuzu was not doing well. Although, Jo wasn't so sure he was completely invested in the game since Hanna banned gambling during the game. She didn't want to keep having to get blood out of the carpet.

Jo pulled the blanket tighter around her. It was cooler up in the attic and the summer was leaving. The game calmed down a bit since most people were using normal cards at this point, so conversation picked up.

"So, what do you guys do on your downtime in your own world?" She asked.

"We didn't really have much downtime." Sasori explained.

"And when we did it was filled with training, yeah." Deidara answered as well.

"Makes sense, but sounds boring as hell." She said and cheered as she slammed down a draw two. "Suck it, blondie." Deidara a ll but ripped his hair out and Hidan laughed his ass off.

"She's beating your ass into the ground." He roared. Deidara turned on him.

"You don't do any better, yeah!" He shouted. "You get beat just as bad." This started and argument between the two and before long they were standing, shouting. Sasori tried to pull Deidara back down to sit, but didn't put in a lot of effort. Jo just leaned back and watched them fight. They were about ot start throwing punches when a loud bang startled all of them. Everyone froze and Jo stood up, looking towards the attic door.

"What the hell was that?" Kakuzu asked. None of them had heard that sound before. Jo was pale as a ghost.

"That sounded like a gun." She mumbled.

"A what?" Hidan asked, confused. Jo didn't answer and ran out of the attic when a pained scream startled them all.

Lily sat there, her face turning redder by the second. She smile to herself as she touched her forehead where he poked her. She hid in her shirt for a bit, blushing and trying to calm down. He was so calm and so sweet. He was patient with everyone in the house and always lends a hand. Lately, instead of sleeping, they would sit on her bed with snack and headphones in, watching a TV show on her laptop. It varied from day to day, but they would sit there, just relaxing, until she fell asleep on him. She didn't even get super violent when he accidently woke her up.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. She popped her head up and turned to look at the door. She briefly wondered who it was before she stood up. She opened the door and froze. A man about her age in a dark hoodie and jeans stood before her, but she barely noticed him. She kept staring at the sawed off shotgun in his hands, pointed right at her chest. Before she could move, he pulled the trigger.

Please please please review. Let me know what you think. I miss hearing back from everyone


	23. Chapter 23

Her chest was burning and her ears were ringing. Lily clutched at her chest as she curled in on herself on the floor. She was screaming. Brian moved into the house and kicked her back, hard, making her yelp. She tried to roll onto her stomach and crawl away.

"You think we don't know you been snooping round?" He yelled as he brought the butt of the gun down against her upper back. "You think we'd forget about your stupid ass?" He shouted as he beat her again. She lay there in pain, not wanting to encourage him to hit her again. "Why ain't you answering me?" He shouted and lifted the gun to beat her again. He never got the chance.

Jo had reached the living room first and saw brian beat her with the butt of the gun. She bolted across the room and launched herself over the couch and tackled Brian before the first Akatsuki member could register what was happening.

Brian and Jo rolled into the dining room and he was able to rip her hands from her jacket. He swung the gun like a club but she caught it and twisted it out of his grip as she stood. She brought the butt down against his nose, breaking it. She cocked the gun, knowing there was at least one shot left. She aimed for his face.

"You move wrong and I swear to Christ I'll blind you." She spat at him. Her finger was twitching to just do it anyway. She took a moment while her ex boyfriend howled in pain and noticed that Lily wasn't making any noise anymore. Jo looked to the side, checking on her friend.

Lily had pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. She as trying to breathe deeply and steady herself. She was ok. Jo also noticed where everyone else had stationed themselves. Deidara was on his knee next to Lily, making sure he was near in case she need help. Sasori was standing on the other side of Lily, separating Jo and Brian from Lily, as though he were ready to deflect and attack. Konan was next to the couch, her attention flicking between Lily and Brian. Hidan was near her. Itachi loomed near the hall, eerily still and shirtless, his dark hair falling loose around him. He vaguely reminded Jo of the girl from the Ring. Jo turned her head and saw Zetsu phasing half out if the wall. This guy came to the wrong house.

"You fucking bitch!" He howled as he sat up, blood all over his face and hoodie. "You broke my fucking nose!" Jo hit him in the face again, sending him back to the floor, screaming.

"Should have thought about that before you shot my friend, Brian!" She shouted. "You fucking dumbass, you shot my friend 'cause you're pissed at me?" She let him sit up. He spat at her.

"You really think I'm here for you?" He told her with cruel grin spreading. Jo furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and Brian started laughing. "Tito say's hi." Jo grabbed the gun and hit him twoice, knocking him out. She stood over him, shaking.

"Jo?" Konan asked quietly, stepping forward slightly. Jo stood up straight and looked at her. "What do you need?" Jo looked at Brian before looking at the Akatsuski in her home.

"Grab my keys." She ordered quietly but firmly. Konan nodded and moved. Jo walked forward as she spoke, holding the gun the whole time. "Hidan, pick up this piece of shit and throw him in the back of my car. You are going with me." She ordered. Lily grabbed her leg but Jo just moved away. She didn't bother talking to Lily. She knew exactly what she was going to say. When Konan tossed her the keys, she looked at her clothes and shrugged. There was a little blood, but not much. Hidan actually did what she asked, grabbing him by the back of his hoodie and throwing him out the front door, cracking his knuckles. Jo didn't really care if he made it to the car alive.

"When they get back, go ahead and tell them what happened." Jo explained to Konan. "I'll be back soon. Keep the doors locked once everyone gets in. Lock this house down. Hanna will help when she gets home." Jo instructed as she headed for the door. Lily struggled to stand, her chest still burning. Deidara steadied her as she faced Jo.

"Jo." She wheezed. Jo faced her. "Don't get caught." She joked with a weak smile. Jo smiled back and left. Lily hobbled over to the couch and crashed on it with a loud groan. "Ahhh! This sucks!" She whined. Sasori stood in front of her and leaned in.

"What is this he shot into your chest?" He asked. Lily let her head tilted back.

"Rock salt." She wheezed. "Large chunks of salt." Deidara made a pained face. Sasori lifted his eyebrows and Konan looked at her chest.

"You should probably start treating these cuts before they get worse." Konan suggested and helped her up off the couch. "I'll help you." Lily let Konan take her upstairs. She could walk fine, but moving her arms irritated her chest. Lily sat on the toilet (not using it obviously). She removed her top with the help of Konan. The cuts in her chest stung and a large bruise was already starting to form.

"There's tweezers in the cabinet." Lily told her. "The first aid stuff is under the sink." Konan grabbed the stuff she needed and wet a cloth. She wiped down most of the area, making lily wince. Then she started pulling pieces out. Lily was quiet for the most of it. It hurt, but she bit her lip.

Konan looked at the expanse of the injuries. Luckily, Lily's shirt and bra was able to protect her a little bit. But her chest and neck was littered with cuts, some of them still filled with salt. There was even a cut or two on her face. Salt in a wound is painful. Konan assumed, based off the sound of the weapon, that a lot of force was but behind the attack. The bruising was fairly new, but still was looking bad. She paused in cleaning up the salt.

"Put your hands on you head please." She instructed. Lily looked at her confused as she did what she was told. Konan begn applying slight pressure on her sternum.

"What are you-" Lily began to ask before she curled in on herself in pain. It startled her more than anything. He had cracked a rib. Konan looked and there were boot marks forming on her skin.

"I apologize." Konan offered. Lily just grit her teeth and waved her apology away. Konan began pulling the salt out of her again. She winced and hissed every so often. Before long, there was a knock on the bathroom door. The two looked and saw Itachi in the door way.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked. Konan nodded and handed him the tweezers while she started cleaning up. There were only a few pieces left. She gathered the bloody towels and threw the trash away. She left with the towels to put them in the laundry. Lily was grateful Jo had taught them how to do laundry.

Lily was insanely aware of how close Itachi was. She had her head lifted up so he could get the pieces from her neck. She swallowed nervously as he set a hand on the other side of her neck, a steadying hand. He worked quickly to her relief. He was done in a few minutes and Lily wondered where Konan had wandered off to. Lily didn't even want to know how red her face was. Judging by his slight smile, she was tomato red. She was willing to bet he could feel her heartbeat racing. He was so close. To her dismay, her brain reminded her of his breathe on her neck when he got too close, trying to reach around her. Her heart beat harder.

TO her relief he set down the tweezers. She sighed and relaxed a bit. Something cold and wet touched her neck and her eyes snapped open. The first thing she saw was his eyes. His red eyes stared back at her. She felt a little light headed. Did he put her in a genjutsu? She felt the fabric of her pants. No, not a genjutsu.

Lily looked away.

The cold wet object moving up and down her neck and chest was a damp cloth. He was wiping away the blood. She placed a hand over his and took the cloth, cleaning herself, not meeting his eyes.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Yes, thank you for your help." She told him. Konan came back with gauze bandages.

"I'm not going to wrap these too tightly." She explained. "I don't want you to put pressure on your ribs."

"Here, I can wrap her." Itachi stood and offered. Lily shot up and grabbed the bandages first.

"No." She said a little too quickly. "I got it. Thank you both very much for your help." She offered and grabbed her shirt. She left and closed her bedroom door after she entered. The two sat there, kinda confused.

"What did you do to her?" Konan asked, her tone light.

"Nothing that I am aware of." He explained. They stood there for a minute, just pausing.

"I was not aware there was this much of a risk here." Konan admitted. "From what I understood, we were not prone to attacks."

"I do not think an instance such as this is normal here." He explained. Konan nodded.

"Are you alright?" Konan asked. Itachi frowned at her, not exactly understanding the question. She smirked. "I saw your expression." She told him. Then he understood. The expression when he realized what had happened. The man was lucky he was riding with Hidan. "Go check on her, please." She suggested. "I am going to go and wait for Hanna to come home." She told him as she left.

Konan made her way downstairs and found people scattered around. It was still fairly early in the morning, but everyone was wide awake and alert. Everyone turned to the door when they heard a car pull up.

"It's Hanna and the rest of us." Sasori informed them after he had moved to the window. He watched as everyone climbed out of the car, pulling out bags of food with them. Everyone seemed to be in a relatively good mood. He watched Hanna walk up to the door an open it.

Hanna was followed by the rest of the Akatsuki. She headed in and saw everyone just standing around. This confused her, but she shrugged and continued on into the kitchen, followed by Kisame and a bouncing Tobi. Kakazu and Pein picked up on the mood of the room immediately and stopped. Pein was carrying two bags of food and Kakazu carried none, having given them to Tobi. Pein stopped right in front of Konan.

"What happened?" He asked firmly.

"A man used a weapon against Lily." She began. "They call it a gun. She was struck in the chest with rock salt and then beat before Jo could step in."

"Why did no one else step in?" Pein asked.

"She got to him before we did, yeah." DEidara explained from his spot on the couch. "Honestly, she didn't need us, yeah."

"Jo has told us in the past to refrain from violence as well." Konan added. "I decided to wait for her instructions."

"Where is he now?" Pein asked.

"Jo took the man in her car. Hidan is with her. I do not know where they went or when they will return." Konan paused here and remembered what Lily had said. "Before leaving, Lily told her not to get caught. I assume Lily knows where they are going."

"How is she?" Pein asked, trying to get the full picture.

" The force behind the rocksalt was enough to pierce through her shirt and skin. She has many small laerations. The force behind the attack, combined with the beating she endured was enough to bruise several ribs and potentially crack one." Konan watched Pein take in the information with cold face. "Other than that, she is fine." Pein nodded and thought for a minute before addressing the group.

"I want someone awake at all times," He ordered. "Take shifts through the night and be on guard in case another man is sent. Is this connected to the man Lily is after?"

"I don't know." Konan admitted. Pein nodded at her and continued on to the kitchen. He set the bags down and rested a gentle hand on Hanna's arm, gaining her attention. Her smile faltered at his serious look. After he had explained the situation fully, her smile was gone and she looked pale. He was grateful that she allowed him to explain everything, including his issue of someone always on alert, before running off to check on Lily.

Hanna passed Itachi in the hall upstairs, only nodding to him in greeting before bursting into Lily's room, startling her.

"What the fuck, Hanna?"

"You go shot?" Hanna asked her as she ran over and pulled her taller friend into a hug. "Are you alright?" She asked as she stepped back, looking at her. She could see the cuts on her neck. Lily nodded.

"Yeah." Lily told her. "Yeah, I'm alright. We just need to be more careful from now on. Now he knows what I'm doing." Hanna nodded in agreement as Lily began pulling papers out of her desk.

"Lily?" Her friend hummed in response. "What exactly are you doing?" Lily pulled out a safe from the closet and shoved the papers in.

"Putting important things into a fire proof safe. You should probably do the same." Lily admitted. "They aren't above arson."

"No, I mean what are you doing that would piss them off.?" Hanna clarified. Lily stood up and looked over her shoulder with the most intense look she had ever seen on Lily's face.

"I'm taking him down." She told Hanna. Hanna frowned. Tito had been put in jail before because of Lily.

"He'll just get out again." Hanna argued. "Nothing sticks to him."

"I'm hitting him hard." Lily explained. "I'm taking him down and dismantling his entire ring." Lily locked the safe and put it back in her closet. "I have to hit fast and I have to hit hard."

"How?" Hanna asked, confused. "How can you take down his entire system?" Then a thought popped into her head. A really terrible thought. "Lily, no. No, you can't stoop that low. There's no coming back from that." Lily just looked at her funny. "You can't kill him." Lily choked on air and then winced in pain.

"Hanna." Lily wheezed. "I'm not gonna kill him, jesus." Hanna visibly relaxed.

"Oh thank god. Then how?"

"I'll have to explain later." Lily told her. "I'm actually not sure myself." Hanna rolled her eyes.

Jo tossed her keys in the dish when she got home and left the gun by the door. She felt it unwise to leave the gun with Brian. A few people were in the living room but she didn't really pay attention. It was almost noon so she went into the kitchen and started making herself lunch. She began pulling things out of the fridge when she noticed Pein's presence. She didn't say anything until she set her things down. With her back to him she asked him.

"Can I help you with something?" The detached tone of her voice sent chills down his spine but he hid it well.

"We were unaware attacks like that were likely." He admitted.

"That's because they weren't." She answered and opened a jar of mayo. "Now that we've stirred the hornet's nest, they'll be more regular." She explained as she scooped some into a bowl.

"That is my concerned." Pein explained. Her back was still to him as she grabbed a knife and began chopping a piece of celery and onion. He stood there silent while listening to the steady thudding of the knife as it went through the vegetables and thunked against the wood chopping board. It was a little eerie.

"What's wrong?" She taunted in that detached tone. "A couple of S ranked ninja's scared of some thugs?" She asked, emphasizing the question with a thud of the knife.

"No." Pein answered, starting to get a little unsettled by her tone, and a little irritated. He stepped closer. "I have ordered a constant watch over the home, including night. At least two of my men will be on guard at all times." He paused. "We need to know what we are up against. What weapons do they hold? What is a likely route of attack?"

"Lily or Hanna can explain the guns." She answered. "If they come, they will come by road. But don't worry. They wont' do anything for a small while." Pein was thoroughly frustrated by her tone. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. He paused at her expression.

Jo's face was completely relaxed. Her face was pale and smooth as though there was nothing in her brain, lifeless. Expect her eyes. Her eyes displayed a fury so deep he had to step back. He let her go.

"I apologize." He offered. She turned around and went back to chopping vegetables.

Hidan plopped down on the couch and set his feet on the coffee table. He seemed content and this unnerved Deidara who was aware of Hidan's violent tendencies.

"So how'd it go, yeah?" He asked, leaning away from the psycho ninja. Hidan just shrugged.

"Fucking boring for the most part." He admitted. "We didn't even kill the fucker." Deidara tilted his head and frowned in confusion.

 _The guy was laying on the backseat, not making a sound. Blood was running from his mouth and nose and both eyes were starting to swell up. Not only was he injured from the beating Jo gave him, Hidan had literally thrown him outside into the yard. He kicked him all the way to the car and once on the pavement had stomped on him twice before picking him up and throwing him in the car. Jo didn't even bother to check and see if he was alive as she drove off towards their destination._

 _Hidan didn't ask, he didn't even talk. He didn't need to. He saw the fury in her eyes and smirked to himself. She was fine._

 _They pulled up infront of a one story house that was run down with vines growing up one side. One of the shutters was missing from a window and another was hanging by one hinge. One of the windows was completely boarded up. You would think no one lived here by the state of it. Jo parked the car and left it running, keys in the ignition, as she jumped out, grabbing the shot gun that still had a round of salt in it._

" _Grab him." She ordered and hidan chuckled cruelly as he dragged him out by the back of his neck. He had barely reached the dilapidated front porch when Jo picked her foot up and kicked the door in with enough strength if left a dent in the wall next to it. Hidan was almost startled, but he had come to find Jo was stronger than she looked. And she looked pretty fucking strong. She stomped into the crowd of scrambling people who were wincing at the light. She flipped on the lights so she could see her victims clearly._

 _A few women her age screamed and left the room, guys were shoving their dicks back in their pants and shoving drugs under the couch. Jo ignored them, stomping or kicking whoever got to close to her as she made her way to the torn, creaky couch._

 _He sat there, legs spread, head tilted back, completely relaxed even though he knew Jo was standing in front of him. He pulled a cigarette away from his mouth and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Jo cocked the gun and aimed it at his chest._

 _A man charged at Jo's back with a knife. Hidan grabbed him and tossed him back like he was a piece of trash. He ended up going through the window and onto the lawn. People had their guns drawn and aimed at her._

" _Everyone leaves." She ordered. Her tone was firm but calm. Tito chuckled and waved his hand. His men were hesitant but they eventually lowered their guns and left._

" _It's alright boys." He laughed, pulling his head up to look at her. "She won't do anything." Jo didn't move but let the mem leave before she spoke._

" _Got your message." She explained. "Figured I owe you a response." Jo used her head to indicate to Hidan to bring her ex, Brian, over to the man on the couch. Hidan tossed him at Tito's feet. The man ran his hand through his greasy black hair and sighed._

" _Can't do a job right." HE mumbled and nundged him with his foot. "Surprised you didn't kill him."_

" _Thought about it." Jo told him. She looked at the man infront of her. He wore a button up shirt tucked into khakis. His dark hair contrasted with his pale skin. His dark eyes were framed by dark glasses. He was much older than her, about ten years older, yet he surrounded himself with young adults. They were easier to manipulate. "This is a warning. It's your only warning." Jo began to explain. "You stay off my property, you stay away from my friends. You or your goons lay a hand on them, I'll personally cut off your balls and shove them down your throat." Tito started laughing. It started as a small chuckle before rolling into a loud, full chested laugh. She quirked an eyebrow but let him speak._

" _You think I'm scared of you, little lady?" He laughed at her face. "You think you're so big and bad just because you have a gun and beat up your ex boyfriend." He continued laughing. "You don't even have the balls to pull-" He was interrupted. Instead of finishing his sentence, He was doubled over on the ground, screaming profanities at her. "YOU LITTLE WHORE! YOU FUCKING WETBACK THINK YOU'RE SHIT? I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" he shouted at her but she was already leaving. She put the butt of the gun through the glass coffee table and pushed the TV onto the floor, breaking it, before leaving. A bunch of guys came back into the room, guns raised, but they were already half way to the car. One idiot took a shot but hit the wall. "DON'T FUCKING SHOOT YOU MORON. SHE'S FUCKING GONE!"_

 _Jo laughed to herself as she sped away, his cries of pain like sweet music in her ears. Hidan rode shotgun as she drove. He couldn't be more proud. He just wish it was more of a fight._

"Wow, I'd hate to be on her badside, yeah." Deidara admitted.

"It sounds as though she goes all out when angered." Sasori agreed. "No restraint, no hesitation. Just inflict pain and damage." Hidan grinned and nodded.

"Hey, Hidan, yeah." Deidara asked, getting the man's attention. "What'd he mean by wetback?"

This question actually made Hidan pause. He hadn't thought about that. Obviously it was an insult, but he wasn't quite sure how.

Lily finished applying the bandages earlier with the help of Itachi. She stood alone in her room now. Lily was completely beside herself but not for the reason you would think. Her face was beet red and she was just standing there stuttering, reflecting on what happened.

 _She shut the door to her room and sighed in relief._

" _What the fuck was that?" She asked herself. "This is Itachi. He's just a friend, you can't like him like that, he's not even form here!" She shook her head and moved to her desk. She set her shirt down with the bandages. She opened one and started placing it over some of the deeper cuts left by the salt. As she was flattening it out, there was a knock on the door._

" _Come in." She said, feeling her flushed face calm down. She heard the door open and the heat returned. Itachi was standing there, looking at her for a moment before he came in._

" _Are you all right?" He asks as he stops in front of her. She looks up and nods. He returns her gaze and reaches past her to grab a bandage. Lily is frozen in her spot. His face is next to hers. Her heart raced and she felt something akin to terror. He moved back and opened the bandage. Itachi placed it on her chest, near her neck, covering one the more nasty gashes. He let his thumb graze the side of her neck and felt her shiver. She smirked slightly and she saw it. She huffed and turned away, grabbing the next bandage and placing it on her chest, underneath the one he just placed._

" _What did you want?" She asked, not facing him still, trying to control her blush. She heard him chuckle and he rested a hand on her shoulder._

" _I wanted to make sure you were alrgiht." He told her. She shrugged._

" _I'm breathing aren't I?" She pointed out. He didn't say anything in response and Lily furrowed her eyebrows. She turned to look at him and found he was right behind her, staring down at her. She froze again, unable to move, unable to breathe. They stood there for a few minutes._

 _Itachi lowered his face closer to hers. Lily closed her eyes but did not move. She could smell the shampoo from his hair, she felt his breath on her face, she could hear him exhale so softly, she felt the heat from his skin close to hers. She waited. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, ok that's a lie._

 _Itachi hovered over her lips, watching her stand there. She was still as a statue. He was close enough their noses almost touched. He sighed slightly and stood up straight. Perhaps he shouldn't. Itachi turned and headed for the door._

 _Lily detected his absence and snapped her eyes open, enraged when she saw he was about to open the door to leave. She bounded across the room, and spun him around. Itachi was mildly surprised when she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him down, pressing her lips against his. He closed his eyes, immediately kissing her back. His hands rested on the sides of her face and they deepened the kiss._

 _It was almost hungry, a sense of desperations. A need to be touched, accepted, loved. How long has it been since he has felt affection, true affection? How long has it been since she had not cringed at a man's touch, not flinch at a man's movements?_

 _The kiss left them both breathless but Itachi collected himself first. He nodded to her before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Lily touched her lips, startled by the entire situation. What on earth possessed her to do that? Why had he kissed her back? He couldn't…_

So Im going to be moving forward with the plot. Things are going to move quickly and it may end within the next few chapters


	24. Chapter 24

Everyone had gathered in the living room for dinner. Lily was on the floor, being squished on the couch hurt her chest too much. It didn't sting as much anymore but it still stung. The tv was off and people seemed a little uneasy. Jo was silent and had been silent for hours. It unnerved most of the Akatsuki, well, it freaked all of them out, they just showed it differently.

They had come to know Jo as fairly level headed during serious events. But something like this, they weren't really how sure anyone should react. Hanna, HIdan, and Lily could tell what was on her mind. Lily, one of her closest friends, was just attacked by her ex. She witnessed him beat her with the gun. Jo was scared. She was scared shitless. Her home, her friends were at risk.

Lily often tried to laugh it off, creating some much need relief from the seriousness of the situation. She pulled up funny youtube videos and got them on the tv.

Hanna was sweet and caring as always, making sure everyone was alright, talking to Pein about security while Jo was….clocked out. Pein had tried to address it to her first, but the look she gave him made him decide otherwise. He addressed the issue with Lily but she didn't seem interested, telling him to do what he felt appropriate. Hanna actually helped set out routines and times where it was safe for no one to be on guard, weakest entry points, what to do if something happens in pubic (like if they bump into anyone on the street or in a public place) and the best places to look out for trouble.

The night went on and people began heading to bed, knowing they would have to be up soon for their shift. Two people were to be awake at all times. They decided the girls were not to be part of the shifts. They had to get up to go to class or work, and this is the least they can do for putting a financial strain on them. Sasori and Deidara were the first ones to take watch that night. They didn't fool around, each new the job came first.

Deidara was playing a video game while Sasori read a book he had borrowed from hanna. She was a sweet girl and Sasori had grown fond of her, appreciating her taste in books. Deidara had become attatched to all three. He liked Jo's kickass attitude when gaming, Hanna was sweet and always helped him out or explained things to him and gave really good relationship advice. Lily was just fun to be around. She was laid back and had a dirty sense of humor.

Hanna left Pein's room around two in the morning. Hanna, Pein, and Konan had been up trying to plan things and hanna had to explain to them why they couldn't just track them down and kill them. "What are guns?" was a difficult question to fully answer. It took a while and Hanna was exhausted. She shuffled down the hall, yawning and pushed open her bedroom door. The room was dark but she could see Kisame sprawled out on the bed. She smiled at him.

Lately things in the house had been good, and they had gotten closer. She was still a little unsure of where they stood, especially since they had no idea if the Akatsuki were staying or not. She constantly fought herself. Some days she would try and distance herself from him, go to work, do something outside, but she was drawn right back to him. She enjoyed his presences. He was fairly laid back, more so than the anime had portrayed him. Kisame often reminded her of a surfer than a serial killer. Most of them often came across as something else. It was easy to forget just how dangerous they all were.

Hanna slipped out of her pants and swapped her sweater for a long t shirt. The nights had been getting colder lately. Fall was coming. Soon they would all be stuck inside together. People were going to be at each other's throats.

"Hey." Kisame's sleepy voice called to her. He scoot over and pulled the blankets back, welcoming her into the warm bed. She slid in and curled up next to him. She would figure it out tomorrow.

Lily plopped on the bed, laying on her back. She let out a long sigh as Itachi let himself in. He had just stepped out of the shower and had a towel around his neck. Lily smiled and patted the side of the bed, wanting him to sit. She had gotten into the habit of braiding his hair, sometimes causing it to have waves the next day. Itachi let her, enjoying the feeling of her slender fingers running through his hair. He also didn't mind having less knots in his hair.

Lily sat up with his help and he put the towel to the side. She slid behind him and grabbed a brush. She began brushing his long dark hair. She loved it loose, how it flowed around him in the breeze. His hair tie had broke once outside. He had to convince her to lend him a hair tie. She kept brushing his hair until she was satisfied. Then she sectioned it into three and began braiding.

"How are you?" He asked her, referring to her cuts.

"I'm alright." She answered. "It's a little sore and the bruising is terrible. I took some advil."

"Advil?" He asked, not familiar with the drug.

"Oh, it's a pain killer." She explained. Lily paused when she felt him stiffen. "Don't worry, it's not an opiate. You don't get addicted to it." She watched him relax and smiled to herself. "Don't worry. I don't intend to get back into that any time soon." She new it wasn't that simple, but there was no point worrying him. She continued braiding her hair. They sat in silence for a while as she braided the hair. It didn't take long and when she was done, she slipped a hair tie off her wrist and tied it. She still sat behind him and let his hair fall against his bare back. His dark hari contrasted with his pale skin. Lily let one of her fingers slide idly down his back and she smiled a bit at the goose bumps. She did it again, moving to his side. She let her fingers glide over his skin and he remained still. EH let this continue for a small while but eventually turned to her and poked her in the forhead. She froze for a bit, blushing just slightly. Itachi smiled a little before laying down on the bed.

"Turn off the light before you go to sleep." He told her. Lily scowled and he only smiled.

The lights in her bathroom were blinding. Jo could hear her heart beating. She felt clamy and gross. When she looked in the mirror, it felt as though she was looking through a fish lens. She was slipping. She was losing control. Brian had all but stormed into her house. He came into HER house. She didn't see it coming, she was caught completely unprepaired. This was her fault. If he had actual rounds, if he had actual bullets, Lily wouldn't have stood a chance. Lily could be dead right now and it would be on her hands. Jo looked and imagined blood. She ran her hands under the cold tap. She heard knocking on the door.

"Hey, you comin' out any time soon?" Hidan asked, his voice abrasive as usual, but it did the trick. She splashed some water in her face.

This mistake wouldn't happen again.

I am so sorry it is so short. I just wanted to get something up. So this weekend I am finally able to go to katsucon! I've been wanting to go for years! Im going to try and do a sakura cosplay (not the best cosplay, but the best one ive ever done LOL) im so fucking pumped!

Sorry I just needed to gush.

Also, im sorry I haven't been updating lately, I got addicted to FALLOUT 4


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